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Diving and snorkelling

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Find out about hazards associated with diving, snorkelling and recreational water activities which is often high-risk.

Boarding facilities

Risks to health and safety can be minimised by adopting a method that reduces the gap between the vessel and shore or pontoon facility which prevents a person or part of a person from falling through the gap (e.g. a gangplank, handrails and/or steps).
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Decompression management

Persons conducting a business or undertaking should ensure that all dives are planned conservatively and consistently to one set of recognised dive tables to minimise the risks of decompression illness.
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Diving and snorkelling equipment

Persons conducting a business or undertaking should ensure the appropriate selection, inspection, maintenance, repair, testing and use of all equipment used for diving and snorkelling.
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Diving and snorkelling risk management

The hazards of diving and snorkelling must be managed to eliminate or minimise the risks of death, injury or illness as far as is reasonably practicable.
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Diving emergencies

Persons conducting a diving or snorkelling business or undertaking must ensure that they are prepared for emergency situations. Written emergency plans should be developed, kept on site and workers should be trained in their application.
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Diving injury and illness

Diving and snorkelling activities expose participants to a wide range of potential hazards which can lead to a range of injuries and illness.
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Dive plans

Dive plans set out the way diving will be carried out to ensure the participants' health and safety.
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Entry and exit from the water

There are a number of measures that should be taken to minimise the risk of injury when divers are entering and exiting the water.
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Head counts

Tragically, divers and snorkellers have been left behind by dive and snorkelling vessels. Anyone who uses a vessel to transport people to a diving or snorkelling site must be certain that all people on board are accounted for before the vessel departs from each site.
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Log keeping

Keeping a record of dives undertaken serves a number of purposes including: quick detection of missing divers, managing decompression, providing dive profile information for emergencies, recording experiences and monitoring diving work.
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Marine stingers

Australia's marine environment is home to some harmful jellyfish collectively known as marine stingers.
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Medical fitness for diving

Many diving and snorkelling incidents involve the participant suffering a medical condition that may be made worse by the diving activity and/or the environment.
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Qualifications and competency

Diving workers and recreational divers need to be competent for the diving activity being undertaken. Persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) must ensure divers hold appropriate qualifications and are competent to undertake the dive in question.
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Supervision for diving and snorkelling

Supervision must be provided for the diving activity being undertaken. Persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) must ensure there are adequate numbers of workers able to undertake specific supervisory duties.
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Vessels

There are a number of measures that should be taken to minimise or eliminate the risk of divers or snorkellers being injured or killed by moving vessels.
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