Product Overview

Summary: This Underwater Welding Practices SOP sets out a clear, step-by-step framework for planning and conducting underwater welding operations safely in Australian waters. It focuses on managing the extreme risks associated with commercial diving, electrical welding, and confined marine environments, helping your organisation meet WHS obligations while protecting divers, surface crews, and assets.

Underwater welding combines two of the highest-risk industrial activities: commercial diving and electrical welding. Without a robust, documented procedure, organisations expose divers and surface crews to life-threatening hazards such as electric shock, differential pressure, explosive atmospheres, and rapid changes in environmental conditions. This Underwater Welding Practices Safe Operating Procedure provides a structured, defensible approach to planning, authorising, and executing underwater welding works in compliance with Australian WHS legislation and relevant diving and electrical safety requirements.

The SOP walks your team through the complete lifecycle of an underwater welding task—from initial risk assessment, dive planning, and equipment selection to in-water set-up, live welding controls, communication protocols, and post-dive inspection and debrief. It clearly defines responsibilities between the dive supervisor, underwater welders, standby divers, surface support crew, and project management, ensuring that critical controls such as isolation, earthing, testing, gas management, and emergency rescue are never left to chance. By implementing this SOP, marine and offshore businesses can standardise best practice across multiple sites and contractors, reduce the likelihood of catastrophic incidents, and demonstrate due diligence to regulators, clients, and insurers.

Tailored for Australian conditions, this document recognises the unique challenges of working in ports, coastal infrastructure, offshore platforms, and inland waterways—such as poor visibility, strong currents, vessel traffic, and environmental protection requirements. It provides practical guidance on integrating underwater welding activities into broader diving safety management systems, permit-to-work processes, and contractor management frameworks, helping your organisation deliver complex underwater projects safely, on time, and in line with contemporary WHS expectations.

Key Benefits

• Ensure underwater welding operations are planned and executed in line with Australian WHS and commercial diving requirements.
• Reduce the risk of electric shock, drowning, and barotrauma through clearly defined controls and verification steps.
• Standardise underwater welding practices across employees and contractors, improving consistency and quality of work.
• Demonstrate due diligence to regulators, clients, and insurers with a documented, auditable procedure for high-risk marine works.
• Enhance incident preparedness with clear emergency response, rescue, and communication protocols for dive teams and surface crews.

Who is this for?

• Commercial Diving Supervisors
• Underwater Welders
• Dive Safety Officers
• Marine Construction Project Managers
• WHS Managers
• Offshore Operations Managers
• Port and Harbour Maintenance Coordinators
• Subsea Engineering Managers
• Vessel Masters and Skippers
• HSEQ Coordinators (Marine and Offshore)

Hazards Addressed

• Electric shock and arc flash in a conductive underwater environment
• Drowning and loss of airway control during welding tasks
• Decompression sickness and barotrauma from pressure changes
• Differential pressure (Delta P) entrapment around structures and intakes
• Explosion risks from flammable gases and pockets in confined underwater spaces
• Thermal burns and eye injuries from welding arcs and hot work
• Entanglement in umbilicals, welding leads, and underwater structures
• Struck-by and crush injuries from moving vessels, tides, and heavy components
• Fatigue, cold stress, and hypothermia in extended or deep dives
• Noise and vibration exposure from underwater tools and support vessels

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose and Scope
• 2.0 Definitions and Abbreviations
• 3.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Competency Requirements
• 4.0 Applicable Legislation, Standards and Company Policies
• 5.0 Pre-Job Planning and Risk Assessment
• 6.0 Dive Plan Development and Authorisation
• 7.0 Permit-to-Work and Isolation Procedures for Underwater Welding
• 8.0 Equipment Requirements, Inspection and Maintenance (Diving and Welding)
• 9.0 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Diver Life Support Systems
• 10.0 Site Preparation, Environmental and Marine Traffic Controls
• 11.0 Step-by-Step Underwater Welding Procedure
• 12.0 Electrical Safety, Earthing and Testing Requirements
• 13.0 Communication Protocols Between Divers and Surface Team
• 14.0 Differential Pressure (Delta P) and Confined Space Controls Underwater
• 15.0 Gas Management, Ventilation and Control of Flammable Atmospheres
• 16.0 Quality Control, Inspection and Documentation of Welds
• 17.0 Emergency Response, Rescue and First Aid Procedures
• 18.0 Post-Dive Decompression, Monitoring and Medical Considerations
• 19.0 Incident Reporting, Investigation and Corrective Actions
• 20.0 Training, Competency Verification and Refresher Requirements
• 21.0 Recordkeeping, Auditing and Continuous Improvement

Legislation & References

• Model Work Health and Safety Act
• Model Work Health and Safety Regulations (particularly regulations relating to high risk work, diving work and electrical safety)
• Safe Work Australia – Code of Practice: Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace
• AS/NZS 2299.1: Occupational diving operations – Standard operational practice
• AS 1674.1: Safety in welding and allied processes – Fire precautions
• AS/NZS 4836: Safe working on or near low-voltage electrical installations and equipment
• AS/NZS ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements with guidance for use
• Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) Marine Orders relevant to commercial diving and vessel safety (where applicable)