Product Overview

Summary: This Dive Logbook Maintenance Safe Operating Procedure sets out a clear, defensible system for recording and maintaining all occupational diving records in line with Australian WHS requirements. It helps dive operations demonstrate due diligence, protect diver health and safety, and provide accurate evidence of competency, exposure and incident history.

In Australian workplaces, diving activities are classified as high-risk work and are subject to stringent WHS duties, including robust record-keeping. This Dive Logbook Maintenance Safe Operating Procedure provides a structured approach to how dive logs are created, updated, stored and reviewed for all occupational diving operations. It clearly defines what must be recorded for each dive—such as dive profiles, decompression data, environmental conditions, equipment used, task undertaken, incidents, near misses and fitness-to-dive declarations—and sets minimum standards for accuracy, legibility and verification.

By implementing this SOP, organisations can move beyond ad‑hoc or inconsistent logging practices and implement a standardised system that supports safer dive planning, effective supervision and rapid incident investigation. The procedure helps you manage regulatory obligations, track diver exposure and competency, and maintain records that can be relied upon in audits, insurance claims and coronial inquiries. It is designed for Australian conditions and integrates with broader WHS systems, including risk assessments, plant maintenance records and emergency management plans for diving operations.

Key Benefits

• Ensure compliance with Australian WHS requirements for high-risk occupational diving record-keeping.
• Improve diver safety by enabling better tracking of dive profiles, exposure and incidents over time.
• Standardise how dive information is captured, verified and stored across all projects and sites.
• Support faster, more accurate investigations and corrective actions following incidents or near misses.
• Demonstrate due diligence to regulators, clients and insurers through robust, auditable dive records.

Who is this for?

• Dive Supervisors
• Occupational Divers
• Scientific Divers
• Commercial Diving Contractors
• WHS Managers
• Marine Operations Managers
• Emergency Response and Rescue Coordinators
• Dive Safety Officers
• Project Managers overseeing diving work

Hazards Addressed

• Decompression sickness due to inadequate tracking of dive profiles and surface intervals
• Barotrauma and other pressure-related injuries from poorly documented depth and time exposures
• Cumulative fatigue and over-exposure from excessive dive frequency without effective record review
• Inadequate emergency response due to missing or inaccurate information about previous incidents or medical issues
• Use of unfit or unqualified divers due to lack of verified records of competency and recent experience
• Equipment-related incidents not being identified as trends due to incomplete or inconsistent log entries

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope of the Dive Logbook Maintenance SOP
• 2.0 Definitions and Regulatory Context for Occupational Diving
• 3.0 Roles and Responsibilities (Divers, Supervisors, WHS Personnel)
• 4.0 Types of Dive Logbooks and Record Formats (individual, project, electronic)
• 5.0 Mandatory Dive Logbook Entries and Data Fields
• 6.0 Procedures for Completing Dive Logs Before, During and After Dives
• 7.0 Verification, Sign-off and Witnessing Requirements
• 8.0 Logbook Storage, Security, Retention Periods and Privacy
• 9.0 Review of Dive Logs for Trends, Hazards and Non-conformances
• 10.0 Integration with Risk Assessments, Permits and Equipment Maintenance Records
• 11.0 Incident, Near Miss and Decompression Event Recording Procedures
• 12.0 Training and Competency Requirements for Personnel Managing Dive Logs
• 13.0 Audit, Compliance Monitoring and Continuous Improvement of Logbook Practices
• 14.0 Document Control, Version Management and Record Archiving

Legislation & References

• Model Work Health and Safety Regulations (Cth) – High Risk Work and Diving Work provisions
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing the Risks of Diving Work
• AS/NZS 2299.1: Occupational diving operations – Standard operational practice
• AS/NZS 4801: Occupational health and safety management systems
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (as implemented in relevant State/Territory jurisdictions)