Diving work

General diving work

General diving work is all work carried out in or under water while breathing compressed gas by a worker that is not performing high risk diving work.

Typically it includes:

• scientific and resource management diving – including limited scientific diving work
• photographic and film making diving
• marine harvesting and aquaculture diving
• recreational diving undertaken by workers  (e.g. dive instructors and divemasters. Note: duties to ensure  the health and safety of persons for who recreational diving is conducted- clients- is provided for under the Safety in Recreational Water Activities Act 2011
• minor work in the sea, bay, inlet or marina for cleaning, inspecting, maintaining or searching for a vessel or mooring
• work that is incidental to the conduct of a business (e.g. an actor working on an underwater film).

High risk diving work

High risk diving work is work carried out in or under water while breathing compressed gas that involves one or more of the following:

• construction work (e.g. constructing a pipeline, renovating a ship, refurbishing a dock)
• testing, maintenance or repair work of a minor nature carried out in connection with a structure. For example conducting non destructive testing on a bridge pylon
• inspection work carried out to determine if the above is necessary (e.g. inspecting a component of a dam to determine if maintenance is required)
• recovery or salvage of large items of plant or structures for commercial purposes (e.g. salvage of a vessel).

Note: High risk diving work does not include minor work in the sea or marinas that involves cleaning, inspecting, maintaining or searching for a vessel or mooring (e.g. cleaning vessel hulls or underwater observatory windows in good environmental conditions using light tools or plant).

Other diving work that is not high risk diving work is general diving work.

All high risk diving work must be carried out in accordance with all diving is conducted in accordance with AS/NZS 2299.1: 2015 Occupational diving operations – Standard operational practice.