Wharf & Jetty Construction Diving SWMS
Wharf substructure inspection, pile cleaning, anode replacement, underwater concreting. Diver coordination with surface plant, tidal current management, working under structures.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Wharf and jetty construction diving involves complex underwater civil engineering tasks including substructure inspection, pile cleaning, sacrificial anode replacement, and underwater concrete placement. Divers operate beneath fixed and floating structures while coordinating with surface plant such as cranes, barges, concrete pumps, and high-pressure water blasting equipment. The combination of confined access beneath structures, tidal currents, marine traffic, and overhead loads makes this one of the highest-risk activities in the commercial diving sector.
This work is regulated under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and WHS Regulation 2025, which adopt AS/NZS 2299.1:2015 'Occupational diving operations' as the primary technical standard. Vessels involved attract obligations under the Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012 and applicable AMSA Marine Orders, while diving from a workplace falls under both WHS jurisdiction and AMSA where the dive platform is a regulated vessel. The PCBU must manage the interface between these regimes.
A SWMS is legally required under WHS Regulation 2025 r.299 because this work is High Risk Construction Work — specifically Category 17 (work on, in or adjacent to water where there is a risk of drowning), Category 18 (diving work), and Category 15 (use of powered mobile plant). The SWMS must be prepared before work commences, be available for inspection, and be reviewed if controls are revised or an incident occurs.
Hazards identified
11 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Fatal drowning, crushing injury, umbilical severance
Diver swept from worksite, umbilical fouling, decompression schedule violation
Crushing fatality from dropped loads or vessel grounding on diver
Penetrating wounds, gas embolism, amputation
Diver pinned to opening, asphyxiation, fatal entrapment
Propeller strike, umbilical severance, drowning
Hydrogen explosion in trapped air pockets, electric shock, burns
Envenomation, infection, sepsis from puncture wounds
Type I/II DCS, arterial gas embolism, permanent neurological injury
Caustic skin burns, mask flooding, disorientation, lost diver
Musculoskeletal injury, dropped load on diver below
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Conduct a pre-dive risk assessment per AS/NZS 2299.1:2015 clause 3, including a written dive plan signed by the Diving Supervisor before each shift
- 2Establish slack-water dive windows from published tidal data; cease diving if currents exceed 1 knot at the worksite, verified by drift bag or current meter
- 3Implement a Permit-to-Dive system that locks out all surface plant (cranes, pile drivers, vessel propulsion, intakes/outlets) via tag-out before diver entry — only the Diving Supervisor authorises release
- 4Maintain dedicated diver communications (hard-wire through-water comms) with continuous voice contact; standby diver dressed-in and ready within 30 seconds per AS/NZS 2299.1
- 5Establish a 50m exclusion zone marked by IALA Code Flag A and lit at night; notify Harbour Master and broadcast Securité on VHF Ch16 prior to operations
- 6Conduct delta-P assessment for every penetration or near-opening task; physically isolate or blank intakes, confirm zero pressure differential before approach
- 7Use only AS/NZS 2299-compliant surface-supplied diving equipment (SSBA) with secondary gas supply; SCUBA prohibited for construction diving tasks
- 8Underwater hot work to follow AS 2812 and AS/NZS 1674.2 — hydrogen venting protocols, insulated electrode holders, knife switch on surface, diver-controlled make/break
- 9Decompression management per DCIEM or US Navy Rev 7 tables loaded into dive computer; on-site recompression chamber within 2-hour evacuation per AS/NZS 2299.1 for dives >9m
- 10Pre-job medicals current within 12 months (AS/NZS 2299.1 Appendix), ADAS Part 2 minimum certification verified for all divers, supervisor holds ADAS Supervisor ticket
- 11Lift plans for anode handling using crane with certified rigger; anodes lowered in tag-line-controlled cradles, never free-dropped; diver clear of fall zone confirmed verbally
Applicable Codes of Practice
Establishes the hierarchy of controls applied throughout this SWMS for diving and surface plant interface risks
Mandates SWMS preparation for HRCW including diving and work near water with drowning risk
Primary technical standard adopted by WHS Regulation 2025 for all commercial diving methodology, equipment and competency
Referenced where pre-construction biological surveys form part of the scope
Sets minimum competency benchmarks (ADAS Part 2/3/4) for divers and supervisors on this scope
Underpins underwater oxy-arc cutting procedures during anode bracket replacement
Applies to cranes, barges, hydro-blasters and pile-driving plant operating above and adjacent to divers
Governs the dive vessel/barge as a Domestic Commercial Vessel under Marine Safety National Law
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Cranes, work barges, concrete pumps, hydraulic pile cleaners and pile-driving rigs operate above and adjacent to divers throughout substructure works
All wharf and jetty work occurs over tidal water; surface support crew and divers face drowning risk from falls, vessel capsize and immersion
The scope is fundamentally diving construction work — surface-supplied breathing apparatus operations beneath wharf structures for inspection, cleaning, anode replacement and underwater concreting
Because this scope triggers three HRCW categories, WHS Regulation 2025 r.299–303 require a SWMS to be prepared before work starts, kept available at the workplace, complied with, and reviewed after any incident or control change. PCBUs (principal contractor and dive contractor) must consult workers in its preparation. Failure to prepare or comply attracts Category 2 penalties under the WHS Act 2011 — up to $1.8M for a body corporate per offence — and exposes officers to personal liability under s.27 due diligence obligations.
Who this is for
- →Commercial diving contractors holding ADAS-recognised certification undertaking marine civil works
- →Principal contractors managing wharf upgrade, refurbishment or construction projects
- →Port authorities and marine infrastructure asset owners commissioning underwater inspection and maintenance
- →Diving supervisors (ADAS Supervisor) preparing project-specific dive plans and SWMS
- →Marine construction project managers coordinating barge-based plant with dive teams
- →WHS managers and consultants auditing diving subcontractor documentation
What you receive
- ✓Editable Microsoft Word (DOCX) SWMS pre-populated for wharf and jetty diving construction
- ✓State-specific legislation schedule covering NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA, TAS, ACT and NT WHS jurisdictions plus Commonwealth maritime law
- ✓Comprehensive hazard register with 11 identified hazards, risk ratings and hierarchy-of-controls treatment
- ✓Worker sign-on register with competency verification fields for ADAS tickets, medicals and inductions
- ✓Pre-dive checklist aligned to AS/NZS 2299.1:2015
- ✓Permit-to-Dive template with surface plant lockout/tagout fields
- ✓Emergency response and recompression procedures with notification flowchart (AMSA, SafeWork, NOPSEMA where applicable)
- ✓Review and version-control register to satisfy r.302 review obligations
Worked example
A NSW marine contractor is engaged to replace sacrificial anodes and conduct Level II inspection on 84 reinforced concrete piles at a container terminal wharf in Port Botany. The Diving Supervisor downloads the Wharf & Jetty Construction Diving SWMS, customises it with the site-specific tidal window (slack water 0540–0710 and 1755–1925), names the standby diver and bellman, and inserts the lift study for the 65kg zinc anodes being craned from a 300t spud barge. Before each dive, the supervisor issues a Permit-to-Dive that locks out the barge's azimuth thrusters, the Liebherr LHM 280 working two berths north, and the cooling water intake of a moored bulk carrier — confirmed by delta-P walkdown. During shift two, a recreational vessel breaches the exclusion zone. The surface tender broadcasts on VHF Ch16, the supervisor recalls the diver to the stage, and work is suspended until Marine Rescue clears the zone. The incident is logged, the SWMS is reviewed against r.302, and the exclusion zone signage is upgraded to include lit dan-buoys for the following tide. The signed SWMS, dive logs and permits are retained for 2 years (or until end of project plus statutory period for any notifiable incident) and made available to the SafeWork NSW inspector on request.
Related legislation
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth model) and state/territory mirror Acts
- Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 — Part 4.8 Diving work and Part 6 Construction work
- Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012
- AMSA Marine Order 504 — Certificates of operation and operation requirements
- AMSA Marine Order 505 — Certificates of competency
- Navigation Act 2012 (Cth)
- Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983
- Biosecurity Act 2015 (Cth) — for hull and equipment biofouling controls
- State Ports and Maritime Acts (e.g. Ports and Maritime Administration Act 1995 NSW)
Frequently asked questions
Does this SWMS cover SCUBA-based wharf inspections?
No. AS/NZS 2299.1:2015 effectively prohibits SCUBA for construction diving tasks because of the absence of secondary gas supply and hard-wire communications. This SWMS is written exclusively for surface-supplied breathing apparatus (SSBA) operations, which is the compliant method for wharf and jetty construction work in Australia.
Who must sign the SWMS before diving commences?
Under r.300, every worker carrying out the high-risk construction work must be consulted in its preparation and sign on. For this scope that includes the Diving Supervisor (ADAS Supervisor ticket), divers (ADAS Part 2 minimum), standby diver, dive tender, and any surface plant operators (crane, barge, hydro-blast) whose work interfaces with the dive. The principal contractor's representative should also countersign acceptance.
How do WHS and AMSA jurisdictions interact on a dive barge?
AMSA regulates the vessel's seaworthiness, manning and operation under the Marine Safety National Law, while SafeWork (state regulator) regulates the workplace activities conducted from it. Diving work falls within WHS jurisdiction. The PCBU must coordinate both — the SWMS addresses WHS obligations and references the vessel's Safety Management System and Certificate of Operation maintained under AMSA Marine Order 504.
What is delta-P and why is it specifically called out?
Differential pressure (delta-P) is the silent killer of construction divers. Even a 30cm head difference across a 150mm opening can generate forces a diver cannot escape. Wharves frequently have scuppers, drainage outlets, intake screens for adjacent vessels, and partially dewatered cofferdams. The SWMS requires a positive delta-P assessment and physical isolation of every potential differential-pressure source before diver entry — not just visual inspection.
How often must this SWMS be reviewed?
WHS Regulation 2025 r.302 requires review whenever controls are revised, after a notifiable incident, when new hazards are identified, or when requested by an HSR. As a practical minimum for wharf diving we recommend review at each new tidal cycle phase, when surface plant changes, when divers rotate, and at minimum every 30 days on extended projects. The version-control register provided supports this.
Is an on-site recompression chamber mandatory?
AS/NZS 2299.1:2015 requires a recompression chamber to be available within an evacuation time appropriate to the dive profile. For dives deeper than 9m, or where decompression diving is conducted, a chamber on-site or within 2 hours is the practical benchmark. The SWMS includes evacuation timing fields and a chamber availability declaration that the Diving Supervisor must complete before approving the dive plan.