Diving Safety

General
All diving operations,
both government and
contractor, shall be
performed in
accordance with this
manual. Failure to
meet these
requirements will
cause for rejection or
cessation of
operations.

Exceptions
Diving shall not be used as a work
method if the work objective can be
more safely and efficiently
accomplished by another means.

Live Boating
Live boating
will not be used
without prior
specific
acceptance by
the Designated
Diving
Coordinator
(DDC).

Training
Documentation shall be in
compliance to OSHA Diving
Standards (29 CFR 1910.410)
Must show that dive team members
have successfully completed training
to the appropriate level

Accepted Training Providers

Commercial diving school, military schools,
Federal school or an Association of Commercial
Diving Educators (ACDE) accredited school
In-house training program meeting requirements
of ANSI/ACDE-01 or in the Association of Diving
Contractors International (ADCI) Consensus
Standards
For scientific divers (using SCUBA or SSA) shall be
in compliance with 29 CFR 1920.410 and meet
requirements of American Academy of
Underwater Scientists (AAUS)

Training Substitution
In substitution for a training
certificate, an ADCI member
company may show proof of a
dive team members
qualification or experience by
submitting a valid ADCI
Card for the appropriate
training level issued by the
current employer.

Minimum Diver Experience

1 year commercial experience in
applicable position
Completed at least 4 working dives with
similar decompression techniques as
contract
Must demonstrate at least 1 of the 4
qualification dives done in pat 6 months
prior to contract award date
DDC w ill ensure divers m eet training and

qualification requirem ents of EM 385-1-86

CPR First Aid

Each dive team
member shall have
current certification
in CPR, first aid, the
use of emergency
oxygen systems, and
if provided on the
dive site, use of AED.

Dive Inspectors
Contract diving
operations will be
monitored and/or
inspected by
personnel qualified
as Dive Inspectors.

Dive Inspectors
Hold current USACE
training certificate as
Dive Inspector,
Diver/Dive Supervisor,
Dive Safety
Administrator, or Dive
Coordinator.
Use of trained

monitors/inspectors with
other credentials will be
considered on a case by
case basis and approved by
the DDC in writing.

Contractor Requirements

Safe Practices Manual

Dive Operations Plan
AHA to cover all aspects job
Emergency Management Plan
Dive Personnel Qualifications
Above requirem ents w ill be review ed and

accepted by tw o of the follow ing:

DDC
ADC
DSR

Pre-Dive Conference
Prior to initial work
on each dive
operations, a PreDive Conference
shall be held with
key personnel
designated by the
DDC .

Diving Operations
Staging area selected based on:
Ease of diver access to water
Hazards to diver in route from surface to
work area
Ability of standby diver to immediately
access water and quickly reach diver
If used, ability to protect top side members
from weather, operational and other hazards

Standby Diver
A standby diver will be
provided whenever a
diver is in the water to
serve as immediate
emergency assistant to
the primary diver.
Shall be fully equipped to
dive and readily
available while primary
diver is in water.

SCUBA Operations
SCUBA diving operations
shall not be conducted:

Depths > 100 ft (30.5m)

Dives outside the nodecompression limits
Against currents exceeding
one knot
Enclosed or physically
confined spaces
Using closed/semi-closed
circuit SCUBA
Visibility < 3ft
Areas with pressure
differential
When diver dont have
direct access to surface

Buoyancy Compensation
Device (BCD)
Each diver shall be
equipped with a BCD
capable of maintaining
the diver at the surface
in a face-up position.

Weight Belts
Each SCUBA diver
shall be equipped
with a weight
belt or assemble
capable of quick
release.

Depth Gauge/Knife

Each SCUBA diver

shall be equipped
with a depth gauge
and knife.

SCUBA Tank Testing

SCUBA tanks used on
government projects
must be visually
inspected internally at
least annually and
hydrostatically tested
at least once every 5
years.

Surface Supplied Air (SSA)

Operations
SSA operations shall
not be conducted at
depths >190 ft
(57.9m).
Exceptional exposure
dives, defined by US
Navy Diving Manual,
shall not be
conducted except in
emergency lifesaving
situations.

Tenders
Each diver shall be
continuously
tendered while in
the water with one
diver per tender
regardless of depth.

Mixed-Gas Diving
Operations
Dual lock, multi-place,
recompression
chambers with a
trained competent
operator shall be
available and ready
for use at the dive
location for any
mixed-gas dive.

Primary Breathing Gas

Each diving
operation shall
have a primary
breathing gas
supply sufficient
to support divers
for the duration
of the planned
dive, including
decompression.

Reserve Breathing Gas

Supply
Each diver shall have a
reserve breathing gas
supply integral or in-line
with the primary air
source sufficient to
safely recover the diver
in the event of failure of
the primary breathing
gas supply.
Reserve breathing
gas supply

In-water Stage
An in-water stage shall
be provided for divers
without access to a bell
for dives deeper than
100 ft (30.4m) or
outside the nocompression limits.

Diving Compressors
Air compressor systems
used on-site as a direct
source to SSA divers
shall be equipped with a
volume tank with a
check valve on the inlet
side, a pressure gauge, a
relief valve and a drain
valve.

Breathing Supply Hoses

Hoses shall be
suitable for
breathing gas
service or shall be
specifically
manufactured for
SSA use.-

Scientific Snorkeling
Scientific
snorkeling will be
allowed only for
environmental
assessments such
as fish surveys,
stream surveys,,
and the like. It will
not be used for
structural
inspection.

Questions????