Product Overview

Summary: This Saturation Diving Standards Safe Operating Procedure provides a rigorous, step‑by‑step framework for planning and conducting saturation diving operations in Australian waters. It focuses on life‑support integrity, decompression management, emergency response and WHS compliance, helping you protect divers, support crew and your business during the highest‑risk subsea work.

Saturation diving is among the most complex and high‑risk activities undertaken in the offshore and subsea sectors. With divers living under pressure for extended periods, the margin for error is extremely small and the consequences of system failures, human error or poor planning can be catastrophic. This Saturation Diving Standards SOP translates best‑practice diving medicine, engineering controls and Australian WHS requirements into a clear, practical procedure that can be consistently applied across vessels, barges and fixed installations.

The document covers the full lifecycle of a saturation campaign: from pre‑mobilisation planning, system audits and personnel competency checks, through bell runs and in‑water operations, to decompression, demobilisation and post‑project reviews. It sets out standard requirements for life‑support systems, gas quality, communications, emergency drills, and hyperbaric evacuation readiness, while defining the roles and authorities of supervisors, life support teams and vessel management. By implementing this SOP, organisations can demonstrate due diligence under Australian WHS legislation, reduce the likelihood of serious incidents, and give clients, regulators and workforce representatives confidence that saturation diving is being conducted to a defensible and verifiable standard.

Key Benefits

• Ensure consistent, best‑practice controls for all saturation diving operations, regardless of vessel or worksite.
• Reduce the risk of decompression illness, hypoxia, hypercapnia and other life‑threatening diving‑related injuries.
• Demonstrate compliance with Australian WHS legislation and recognised industry standards for commercial diving.
• Standardise supervisory decision‑making, communication protocols and documentation across diving teams.
• Enhance preparedness for emergencies such as loss of pressure, fire, medical incidents and hyperbaric evacuation.

Who is this for?

• Diving Operations Managers
• Offshore Installation Managers (OIMs)
• Saturation Diving Supervisors
• Life Support Supervisors and Technicians
• WHS Managers and HSE Advisors
• Marine and Offshore Project Managers
• Client Site Representatives (CSR) – Offshore
• Hyperbaric Physicians and Diving Medical Advisors
• ROV and Subsea Construction Supervisors
• Safety and Training Coordinators (Diving Contractors)

Hazards Addressed

• Decompression sickness (DCS) and arterial gas embolism (AGE)
• Oxygen toxicity and hypoxic gas exposure
• Hypercapnia (elevated CO₂) due to life‑support system failure or misuse
• Barotrauma to lungs, ears and sinuses during pressure changes
• Atmospheric contamination within chambers and bells (e.g. hydrocarbons, CO, toxic gases)
• Loss of pressure or uncontrolled decompression in chambers or bells
• Fire and explosion risks in oxygen‑enriched or pressurised environments
• Thermal stress, hypothermia and hyperthermia during in‑water operations
• Entanglement, crushing or impact injuries from subsea structures, umbilicals and equipment
• Psychological stress, fatigue and fitness‑for‑duty issues associated with extended saturation
• Manual handling injuries during launch and recovery of heavy diving equipment
• Communication failures between divers, bell, life support and surface control

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose, Scope and Application
• 2.0 Definitions and Abbreviations (Including Saturation Diving Terminology)
• 3.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Authority (OIM, Diving Supervisor, Life Support Supervisor, DMT, HSE)
• 4.0 Competency, Training and Medical Fitness Requirements
• 5.0 Pre‑Mobilisation Planning and Risk Assessment
• 6.0 Saturation System Requirements and Acceptance Criteria
• 7.0 Life Support Systems, Gas Supply and Environmental Controls
• 8.0 Pre‑Dive Checks, Lock‑In and Lock‑Out Procedures
• 9.0 Bell Operations, In‑Water Work Practices and Communication Protocols
• 10.0 Decompression Planning, Monitoring and Execution
• 11.0 Fitness for Duty, Fatigue Management and Psychosocial Considerations
• 12.0 Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Control Measures Specific to Saturation Diving
• 13.0 Emergency Preparedness and Response (Fire, Loss of Pressure, Medical Emergency, Hyperbaric Evacuation)
• 14.0 Interaction with Other Marine and Subsea Operations (SIMOPS)
• 15.0 Equipment Inspection, Maintenance, Testing and Calibration
• 16.0 Incident Reporting, Investigation and Corrective Actions
• 17.0 Documentation, Records Management and Audit Requirements
• 18.0 Review, Continuous Improvement and SOP Revision History

Legislation & References

• Model Work Health and Safety Act (Safe Work Australia)
• Model Work Health and Safety Regulations – Part 4.8 Diving Work (Safe Work Australia)
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace (for diving plant and life‑support systems)
• AS/NZS 2299.1: Occupational diving operations – Standard operational practice
• AS/NZS 2299.2: Occupational diving operations – Scientific diving
• AS 2815 series: Training and certification of occupational divers
• AS/NZS 4801: Occupational health and safety management systems (superseded but still referenced in many systems)
• ISO 13628 / API RP relevant subsea equipment guidance (as applicable to umbilicals and subsea systems)
• International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) guidance notes for saturation diving (as industry best practice, where adopted by the business)