Saturation Diving Operations SWMS
Offshore saturation diving with pressurised living chamber and bell. Long-duration physiological monitoring, decompression schedule integrity, hyperbaric chamber emergency response. AS/NZS 2299.2 + IMCA D 014.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Saturation diving is the most physiologically demanding and operationally complex form of commercial diving conducted in Australian waters. Divers live under pressure for periods typically ranging from 14 to 28 days inside a Deck Decompression Chamber (DDC) complex, transferring to and from the worksite via a closed Personnel Transfer Capsule (bell). Because the divers' tissues are saturated with inert gas (typically heliox), any loss of pressure containment, life support failure, or breach of decompression schedule integrity has immediate fatal potential. This SWMS addresses offshore saturation diving operations governed by AS/NZS 2299.2:2023 (Underwater air supply) read with AS/NZS 2815.5 (Mixed gas and saturation diving competency) and IMCA D 014 (International Code of Practice for Offshore Diving).
Under the model Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and WHS Regulation 2025, diving work is expressly captured as High Risk Construction Work where it is associated with construction activity, and as a notifiable diving operation under Part 4.8 of the WHS Regulation. Where the operation occurs from a Domestic Commercial Vessel, the Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012 and the AMSA Marine Order 504 also apply concurrently. The PCBU must ensure dive supervisors hold ADAS Part 4 (or equivalent) certification and that all divers hold current AS/NZS 2815.5 competencies.
A SWMS is legally required before saturation diving commences because the work involves multiple HRCW triggers (Categories 17, 18 and frequently 15) under Schedule 3 of the WHS Regulation. Section 299 of the Regulation requires the SWMS to identify hazards, set out control measures, and describe how those controls will be implemented, monitored and reviewed — and the SWMS must be available for inspection by an inspector or the regulator at all times during the work.
Hazards identified
14 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Immediate fatal barotrauma and gas embolism to all divers under saturation
Convulsions underwater leading to drowning; pulmonary oedema
Cognitive impairment, tremors, loss of diver function at depth
Drowning, crush injury, loss of breathing gas supply to divers
Type II decompression sickness, permanent neurological injury, death
Rapid combustion, fatal burns and toxic gas inhalation in confined hyperbaric space
Unconsciousness, cardiac arrhythmia, death of saturation team
Acute toxic exposure with no escape route at saturation depth
Diver entrapment against subsea structures, drowning, severe crush injury
Loss of diver dexterity, cognitive failure, inability to return to bell
Entanglement, propeller strike, fatal trauma
Umbilical parting, bell fouling, loss of life support to divers in water
Crew conflict, fatigue-related procedural error, mental health decline over 28-day saturation
Delayed treatment due to absence of compatible Hyperbaric Rescue Chamber (HRC) mating arrangements
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Operate in accordance with IMCA D 014 and AS/NZS 2299.2, with a documented Diving Project Plan signed by the Diving Superintendent and a Diving Medical Practitioner trained per AS/NZS 2299.1 Appendix B before any blowdown
- 2Verify all life support systems (gas reclaim, BIBS, environmental control, sanitary, hot water) against a pre-saturation acceptance test certificate signed by the Life Support Supervisor — no deviations permitted
- 3Maintain continuous 24-hour Life Support Technician (LST) watch with chamber atmosphere monitoring (PO2 0.4–0.5 bar, PCO2 < 0.005 bar, temperature 28–32°C at depth) logged at minimum 30-minute intervals
- 4Implement two-diver-in-water / one-bellman protocol with independent emergency gas supply (EGS) on each diver and a hot bailout bottle in the bell sized for the deepest excursion
- 5Use only hyperbaric-rated, low-flammability materials inside the chamber (no synthetics, no electronics not certified for hyperbaric oxygen environment) and maintain deluge system armed and tested daily per IMCA D 052
- 6Adopt published USN Rev 7 or DCIEM saturation decompression tables, with the Diving Supervisor independently verifying each storage depth change and excursion against the table — no schedule modification without written authorisation from the Diving Superintendent
- 7Conduct DP FMEA-proven Class 2 vessel operations only, with diving suspended on any single failure alarm, and a documented green/yellow/red DP status communicated to the Dive Control on every watch handover
- 8Brief and isolate all Delta P sources (sea chests, intakes, caissons) with positive isolation certificates and dye testing before diver approach, in line with IMCA D 044
- 9Maintain a compatible Hyperbaric Rescue Chamber (HRC) or Self-Propelled Hyperbaric Lifeboat (SPHL) on standby with mating flange compatible to the DDC, fuel for 72 hours, and a current AMSA survey certificate
- 10Test breathing gas to AS/NZS 2299.1 Table 5.1 (and IMCA D 022) before connection — including CO < 3 ppm, hydrocarbons < 0.5 mg/m³, and verify gas blends by independent analyser before each storage depth change
- 11Hold daily toolbox talks with the saturation team via chamber comms, plus pre-bell-run task briefings covering the specific worksite, Delta P, ROV exclusion zones and emergency abort procedures
- 12Notify the WHS regulator under Regulation 172 (notifiable diving work) and lodge the dive plan before commencement; maintain dive logs per Regulation 175 for at least 5 years
- 13Ensure all personnel hold current AS/NZS 2815.5 saturation diver / supervisor / LST competencies and an AS/NZS 2299.1 Appendix B medical certificate issued within the last 12 months
- 14Implement a documented Decompression Emergency Procedure including therapeutic recompression on USN TT6/TT6A under the direction of a Diving Medical Officer contactable 24/7
Applicable Codes of Practice
Sets the baseline duty of care for all occupational diving in Australia, including medical fitness, supervision and gas quality
Specifies breathing gas purity and supply system requirements directly applicable to saturation gas management
Mandatory competency standard for all saturation divers, supervisors and life support technicians
Industry-recognised offshore code referenced by Australian operators and accepted by regulators as evidence of good practice
Defines supervisor responsibilities, gas testing intervals and incident reporting expectations
Hyperbaric Rescue Chamber readiness and 72-hour self-sufficiency standard
Applies where the saturation work supports subsea construction; defines SWMS requirements under WHS Regulation s299
DDC chambers meet the regulatory definition of a confined space requiring entry permits and atmospheric controls
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Saturation operations involve LARS (Launch and Recovery System) winches, A-frames, and ROVs operating in proximity to divers — all powered mobile plant under Schedule 3
Bell runs and in-water excursions at depths up to 300 metres place divers in a continuous drowning-risk environment with no free-ascent option
Saturation diving is the most onerous form of diving work expressly captured under Schedule 3 Item 18 of the WHS Regulation
Because three HRCW categories are triggered, the PCBU must prepare a SWMS before work commences (s299 WHS Regulation), give it to the principal contractor, stop work immediately if a control is not implemented (s301), and review the SWMS if the work changes or after an incident (s302). Failure attracts penalties up to $30,000 for a body corporate per offence under the model WHS Regulation, plus prosecution under s32 of the WHS Act for failure to comply with a health and safety duty exposing a person to risk of death or serious injury.
Who this is for
- →Offshore diving contractors operating in Australian Commonwealth and state waters
- →Diving Superintendents and Diving Supervisors holding ADAS Part 4 or IMCA-recognised qualifications
- →Life Support Supervisors and Technicians managing DDC and bell life support systems
- →Dive Support Vessel (DSV) masters and DP operators interfacing with saturation operations
- →Principal contractors on subsea pipeline, platform decommissioning and inspection/maintenance/repair (IMR) projects
- →Hyperbaric Medical Officers and Diver Medical Technicians (DMT) supporting saturation campaigns
What you receive
- ✓Editable Microsoft Word (DOCX) SWMS template fully populated for saturation diving operations
- ✓State-specific legislation schedule covering NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS, NT, ACT and Commonwealth waters under the OPGGS Act
- ✓Hazard register with all 14 saturation-specific hazards pre-filled, risk-ranked and aligned to controls
- ✓Worker sign-on register for divers, supervisors, LSTs and DSV crew with competency verification fields
- ✓Pre-blowdown verification checklist aligned to AS/NZS 2299 and IMCA D 014
- ✓Hyperbaric Emergency Response Plan template including HRC mating procedures
- ✓SWMS review log meeting WHS Regulation s302 review obligations
- ✓PDF reference copy of the populated SWMS for project induction use
Worked example
A diving contractor is mobilising a 12-bunk saturation system onto a DP2 dive support vessel for a 21-day subsea pipeline tie-in campaign in the Bass Strait at 142 metres. The Diving Superintendent uses this SWMS as the basis for the project-specific risk assessment. Before blowdown, the LST team works through the pre-blowdown checklist embedded in the SWMS — confirming gas analysis certificates, deluge tests, comms redundancy and HRC mating drill completion. The Dive Supervisor on shift signs each diver onto the SWMS via the included sign-on register, recording each diver's AS/NZS 2815.5 ticket number and Appendix B medical expiry. On day 9, a Delta P hazard is identified at a previously isolated valve. Under WHS Regulation s302, the Supervisor stops the bell run, reviews the SWMS, adds an additional positive-isolation control with the platform operator, and re-briefs the dive team via chamber comms before resuming. The amended SWMS, the stop-work record and the revised toolbox talk are retained on the vessel and made available when a NOPSEMA inspector boards two days later for a planned inspection — satisfying the regulator's request to see the SWMS and evidence of its active use.
Related legislation
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth model) — sections 19, 32, 46–49
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 — Part 4.8 (Diving Work) and Part 6.3 (High Risk Construction Work)
- Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (Cth) — for Commonwealth waters operations
- Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012
- AMSA Marine Order 504 — Certificates of operation and operation requirements
- Navigation Act 2012 (Cth)
- Workers Compensation Act (state-specific) and Seafarers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1992 (Cth)
Frequently asked questions
Is saturation diving automatically notifiable to the WHS regulator?
Yes. Under Part 4.8 of the WHS Regulation 2025, general diving work and high risk diving work (which captures saturation diving) require notification to the regulator before the work starts. In Commonwealth waters the duty sits with NOPSEMA under the OPGGS Act. The notification must include the dive plan and the SWMS.
Does this SWMS replace the Diving Project Plan required under AS/NZS 2299.1?
No. The SWMS satisfies the WHS Regulation s299 obligation but it does not replace the Diving Project Plan, which is a separate technical document required under AS/NZS 2299.1 clause 3.2 and signed by the Diving Superintendent. The two documents are complementary — the SWMS references the Project Plan and vice versa.
What competencies must divers hold for the SWMS to be valid?
All divers must hold AS/NZS 2815.5 (Mixed gas and saturation diver) certification, a current Appendix B occupational diving medical (12 months), and documented IMCA logbook hours. Supervisors require ADAS Part 4 or IMCA Air & Bell Supervisor tickets. The SWMS sign-on register includes fields to record and verify each of these.
How often must the SWMS be reviewed during a saturation campaign?
Under WHS Regulation s302 the SWMS must be reviewed if control measures are revised, if a new hazard is identified, after any incident, or if a worker raises a concern. In practice on a 21–28 day saturation, our recommended schedule is daily toolbox-level review and a formal documented review at every shift handover and worksite change.
Does this SWMS cover both inshore and offshore (Commonwealth waters) operations?
Yes. The template includes a state-specific legislation schedule and a Commonwealth waters schedule covering the OPGGS Act and NOPSEMA notification pathway. The Diving Superintendent selects the applicable jurisdiction at the project setup stage.
Is a Hyperbaric Rescue Chamber (HRC) mandatory for every saturation operation?
Yes for offshore operations under IMCA D 014 and AS/NZS 2299.4, and it is treated as a mandatory control in this SWMS. The HRC must be compatible with the DDC mating flange, certified by AMSA where vessel-mounted, and have 72 hours of self-sustaining life support per IMCA D 052.