Canada Oil and Gas Diving Regulations (SOR/88-600)

Duties of Supervisors

• 37 (1) No diving supervisor shall, in a diving operation supervised by the diving supervisor, permit a person to make

  • (a) a category I dive in the diving operation unless the person meets the criteria set out in section 53, 55 or 57;

  • (b) a category II dive in the diving operation unless the person meets the criteria set out in section 55 or 57; or

  • (c) a category III dive in the diving operation unless the person meets the criteria set out in section 57.

• (2) No ADS supervisor shall, in an ADS diving operation supervised by the ADS supervisor, permit a person to make an ADS dive in the diving operation unless the person meets the criteria set out in section 64.

• (3) No supervisor shall, in a diving operation under his supervision, permit a person to be involved in the diving operation where the supervisor believes on reasonable grounds that the person is unfit to be involved in that diving operation or that the involvement of that person in the diving operation could compromise the safety of other persons involved in the diving operation.

• (4) A diving supervisor shall plan dives in such a manner that the total bottom time of a diver supervised by the supervisor does not exceed, in any 24 hour period,

  • (a) in the case of a category I dive

    • (i) five hours at depths of 20 m or less, or

    • (ii) three hours at depths of more than 20 m;

  • (b) in the case of a category II dive, three hours; and

  • (c) in the case of a category III dive, eight hours.

• (5) A diving supervisor shall plan a diving operation in such a manner that, where practicable, a diving bell is used in the diving operation for any dive to a depth of more than 30 m that requires surface decompression.

• (6) An ADS supervisor shall ensure that a pilot supervised by the supervisor does not remain underwater, in any 24 hour period, for more than a total of eight hours.

• (7) A supervisor shall ensure that, following a dive under his supervision, the diver or pilot who made the dive has an adequate rest period.

• 38 (1) The supervisor of a diving operation shall be present at the diving station from which the diving operation is controlled at all times during the diving operation or during the period in which the supervisor is on duty, as the case may be, and shall

  • (a) directly control the diving operation;

  • (b) use, during the total dive time of the diving operation, a sufficient number of trained persons to operate the diving plant and equipment used in that diving operation; and

  • (c) follow the relevant provisions of the applicable procedures manual for that diving operation.

• (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of these Regulations, the supervisor of a diving operation may, in the case of an emergency, allow or direct the use of diving techniques, equipment and procedures not permitted by these Regulations where that use provides the only available practicable means of ensuring or enhancing the safety of the persons involved in the diving operation.

• (3) The supervisor of a diving operation shall interrupt or discontinue the diving operation where

  • (a) continuation of the diving operation would or is likely to compromise the safety of any person involved in the diving operation;

  • (b) the water currents at the underwater work site of the diving operation are likely to compromise the safety of a diver or pilot involved in the diving operation; or

  • (c) combustible material is stored too close for safety to any diving plant and equipment used in the diving operation.

• (4) The supervisor of a diving operation that involves the use of a diving submersible shall, where practicable, discontinue the diving operation where the unused stored electrical power of the diving submersible reaches 20 per cent of the electrical power capacity of the diving submersible, excluding the back-up capability referred to in paragraph 14(c).

• (5) Where the supervisor of a diving operation wishes to commence or continue the diving operation and the person in charge of the craft or installation from which the diving operation is being conducted considers that the commencement or continuation of the diving operation would compromise the safety of any person on the craft or installation or the safety of the craft or installation, the decision of the person in charge of the craft or installation respecting the commencement or continuation of the diving operation shall overrule the supervisor’s decision.

• (6) In the event of an accident, the supervisor of the diving operation shall

  • (a) take such measures as are necessary to provide treatment to any person injured in the accident and to ensure the safety of the persons involved in the diving operation;

  • (b) interrupt the diving operation or any portion of the diving operation that may have caused or contributed to the accident until the diving operation or portion of the diving operation can be safely resumed;

  • (c) deliver the diving operations logbook referred to in paragraph 9(5)(m) to the operator responsible for the diving operation as soon as possible after the accident;

  • (d) keep the site of the accident undisturbed until a conservation engineer has completed inspection of the site;

  • (e) prepare a written report that contains a description of the accident, a summary of the events that led to the accident and the measures taken following the accident; and

  • (f) deliver to the operator responsible for the diving operation the report referred to in paragraph (e).

• 39 (1) No supervisor shall conduct a diving operation unless

  • (a) prior to the commencement of a dive that is part of the diving operation, the supervisor has consulted the person in charge of the craft or installation from which the diving operation will be conducted and any other person whose assistance the supervisor considers necessary for the dive;

  • (b) the supervisor has taken into account, in any decision respecting the diving operation, the meteorological data available to the supervisor and the environmental conditions in the area of the proposed dive site;

  • (c) protective headgear is available for any diver involved in the diving operation at any time that the diver is at or below the surface of the water and, where practicable, at any time the diver is transported in a skip;

  • (d) during any period of darkness or low visibility

    • (i) any diver involved in the diving operation is provided with, and has attached to the diver’s person, a lamp or other suitable device that indicates the diver’s location, and

    • (ii) where the nature of the diving operation permits, the dive site and the underwater work site of the diving operation is adequately illuminated;

  • (e) any standby diver involved in the diving operation has an umbilical at least 3 m longer than the umbilical of the diver for whom the stand-by diver acts as stand-by;

  • (f) the divers and pilots involved in the diving operation are protected from any danger or hazards that could be caused by

    • (i) sonar,

    • (ii) devices emitting electromagnetic or ionizing radiation,

    • (iii) the propeller and the manoeuvring unit of any craft from which the diving operation is being conducted and the flows of water created by the propeller and the manoeuvering unit,

    • (iv) the normal movements of a craft referred to in subparagraph (iii) and any movements of the craft caused by unexpected loss of power or stability,

    • (v) any suction or water current encountered in or resulting from the diving operation, and

    • (vi) equipment on a craft or an installation from which the diving operation is being conducted; and

  • (g) plans have been made, in the event a craft from which the diving operation is being conducted loses power, to protect and to recover a diver or pilot involved in the diving operation who is in the water.

• (2) No diving supervisor shall permit a diver supervised by the supervisor to enter the water unless

  • (a) the diver

    • (i) is wearing a diving harness complete with a pelvic support and lifting ring and is equipped, where practicable, with a depth indicator capable of being monitored from the surface, and

    • (ii) has a bale-out gas bottle that is independent of the primary supply of breathing mixture to the diver; and

  • (b) all impressed current cathodic protection devices situated within a radius of 5 m from the diver’s underwater work site are deactivated and the notice referred to in subparagraph 6(1)(g)(ii) is prominently displayed on the controls of those devices, or other equally effective measures are taken to ensure the safety of any diver within a radius of 5 m of any active impressed current cathodic protection devices.

Restrictions Respecting Dive Sites

• 40 (1) No diving supervisor shall permit a diver supervised by the supervisor to make a dive that is part of a diving operation from

  • (a) a place referred to in paragraph 6(1)(b) that is unsuitable;

  • (b) a craft that has insufficient power or stability for the safe conduct of the dive;

  • (c) a dive site located more than 2 m above the water unless a suitable skip, diving bell or diving submersible is used to transport the diver through the air-water interface;

  • (d) a dynamically positioned craft unless

    • (i) the craft has been operating in the dynamically positioned mode for at least 30 minutes before the diver enters the water,

    • (ii) the range of surge or sway movement of the water at the dive site is less than 80 per cent of the maximum operational capacity limit of the craft,

    • (iii) a skip or a diving bell is positioned as close as possible to the diver’s underwater work site,

    • (iv) all reasonable precautions are taken to prevent any umbilical used in the dive from coming into contact with any propeller or manoeuvring unit of the craft,

    • (v) any change of heading or positioning of the craft, at any time a diver involved in the diving operation is in the water, is made only after the diving supervisor has granted permission for the change and the diver has been notified, and

    • (vi) the craft complies with the requirements of section 25; and

  • (e) a craft that is under way, except in the case of an emergency.

• (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), a craft that is operating in the dynamically positioned mode and that complies with the requirements of section 25 is not considered to be under way.

• (3) No supervisor shall conduct a diving operation unless the person in charge of the craft or installation from which the diving operation is to be conducted has been notified of the proposed diving operation.

Restricted Use of SCUBA

41 No diving supervisor shall use or permit to be used SCUBA in a diving operation supervised by the supervisor except where any other diving technique is impracticable or hazardous to use and unless

• (a) the diving operation is conducted in water that is less than 20 m deep;

• (b) the diving operation can be completed without the need for decompression;

• (c) the diver using SCUBA is connected to a lifeline or, where the use of a lifeline is impracticable,

  • (i) the diver is in contact, visually or orally, with another diver who is in the water, securely connected to a lifeline and assisted by an attendant at the dive site, or

  • (ii) some other effective method of ensuring that diver’s safety is provided;

• (d) there is a practical means of communication between the supervisor and the diver using SCUBA and there is a means of oral communication between the supervisor and other personnel involved in the diving operation;

• (e) the diving crew for the duration of the diving operation includes a minimum of one supervisor, one diver, one stand-by diver and as many attendants as the supervisor considers necessary to ensure the safety of the divers involved in the diving operation; and

• (f) all applicable provisions of these Regulations are complied with.

Restrictions Respecting Category I Diving Operations

42 No diving supervisor shall conduct a category I diving operation, other than a diving operation in which SCUBA is used, unless

• (a) a suitable skip is used to transport the divers involved in the diving operation to an underwater work site that is 20 m or more in depth and, where practicable, to an underwater work site that is less than 20 m in depth;

• (b) an umbilical directly from the surface or via a skip is used to supply the appropriate breathing mixture to the divers involved in the dive that is part of the diving operation;

• (c) the supervisor is in oral communication with any divers, stand-by divers and attendants involved in the diving operation at all times during the diving operation;

• (d) the supervisor has a means of monitoring the depth of each diver involved in the diving operation and the pressure of the breathing mixture being supplied to each diver and stand-by diver involved in the dive;

• (e) each diver involved in the dive is securely connected to a lifeline; and

• (f) the diving crew for the duration of the diving operation, includes one diving supervisor, one diver and a minimum of

  • (i) one stand-by diver equipped with an umbilical at least 3 m longer than the umbilical of the diver for whom the stand-by diver acts as stand-by,

  • (ii) one attendant at the dive site of the diving operation, and

  • (iii) as many additional attendants as the supervisor considers necessary to ensure the safety of the divers involved in the diving operation.