Underwater diving

Diving work with breathing apparatus that can cause loss of breathing gas, decompression sickness, blackout, cold exposure or injury to a diver.

Also known as: Decompression sickness, Shallow water blackout, Loss of breathing gas supply, Use supplied air dive system, Ballast weight loss, Exposure to cold water during a dive, Surface vessel collision, Commercial diving

How to control underwater diving

Use a competent diving contractor, and have divers hold the qualifications and medical clearance the work requires.
Prepare a dive plan covering depth, bottom time, decompression, emergency procedures and the dive team's roles before diving.
Use a surface-supplied air system with a standby diver in place of free diving where the task allows, and keep a backup breathing gas supply.
Keep a standby diver, a dive supervisor and a surface vessel tender on duty throughout, with agreed communication signals.
Display dive flags and keep boats and other water users clear of the dive site, and tell the harbour or waterway authority.
Keep a recompression chamber and emergency oxygen within reach, and have a procedure for treating decompression illness and cold exposure.

Typical controls, most effective first. Your SWMS sets the controls for your own job and site.