(1) This Procedure outlines The University of Queensland's requirements for undertaking snorkelling and breath-hold diving by workers and undergraduate students at the University. The University acknowledges that snorkelling and breath-hold diving activities raise particular risks which must be effectively controlled. The purpose of this Procedure is to ensure the health, safety and well-being of snorkellers and compliance with relevant legislative requirements. (2) This Procedure applies to all workers and undergraduate students participating in snorkelling and breath-hold diving and staff, including Supervisors and senior officers, who have responsibilities to ensure the health and safety of the workers and undergraduate students and those exposed to these activities. (3) The objectives of this Procedure are to: (4) Supervisors and senior officers must ensure the following processes have been completed before undertaking snorkelling or breath-hold diving activities: (5) To ensure the safety of workers and other persons, the following controls must be considered in the planning and preparation of snorkelling or breath-hold diving activities: (6) The Supervisor must ensure that all snorkellers are advised that snorkelling can be a strenuous activity and may increase health and safety risks to persons suffering from: (7) The Supervisor is required to inform all persons undertaking snorkelling or breath-hold diving to advise the designated lookout, snorkelling supervisor or snorkelling guide of any concerns they may have with respect to their fitness to undertake the activity. (8) All snorkelling workers and persons undertaking snorkelling activities must be competent in all of the following: (9) In addition to the above, persons undertaking breath-hold diving must also be component in all of the following: (10) Snorkel supervisor must check the competency of persons undertaking snorkelling or breath-hold diving and provide additional training to persons who do not demonstrate competency in the first instance. (11) In addition to the minimum competency set out in clauses 8-10, snorkel guides must also be competent in both of the following: (12) In addition to satisfying the competency in clauses 8-11, snorkel lookouts and rescuers must: (13) A snorkel supervisor must satisfy the competencies in clauses 8-12 and be appointed in writing as a snorkel supervisor by the Supervisor responsible for the snorkelling activity/work. (14) The following personnel must be present: (15) The snorkel supervisor may act as either a snorkeller or lookout. The minimum team is therefore three (3) persons. If the snorkel supervisor is acting as a snorkeller, a lookout must be appointed. (16) One lookout may attend to more than one pair of snorkellers if: (17) The following personnel must be present: (18) The snorkel supervisor may act as either a snorkeller or lookout if: (19) If a snorkel team of two (2) is used, the attendant must maintain visual contact with the snorkeller and must be capable of removing the snorkeller from the water in an emergency or if the snorkeller requests assistance. The minimum team is therefore two (2) persons. (20) The following personnel must be present: (21) The snorkel supervisor may act as either a snorkeller or snorkeller’s attendant. The minimum team is therefore three persons. If the snorkel supervisor is acting as a snorkeller, the supervisor's surface duties must be delegated to the attendant. (22) In exceptional circumstances, where minimal risk is present, the Supervisor and Head of School or Head of Organisational Unit may authorise a minimum team of two snorkellers if: (23) If a snorkel team of two (2) is used, each snorkeller must maintain visual contact with the snorkeller and must be capable of removing the snorkeller from the water in an emergency or if the snorkeller requests assistance. The minimum team is therefore two (2) persons. (24) For groups of snorkellers without rescuer skills, competent persons must be appointed by the Supervisor at ratios no lower than: (25) Snorkel rescuers may act as snorkel guides. Snorkel supervisors may act a guide and as a snorkel rescuer. (26) The above ratios are for nominal low risk conditions. Minimum ratios of competent persons to snorkellers must be reduced according to a risk assessment where snorkellers are mostly inexperienced, at night, or according to the environmental conditions. (27) For all night snorkelling activities, where a risk assessment permits no lookout to be used, or where the sea state exceeds 1m, minimum ratios of competent persons to snorkellers must be reduced to: (28) Snorkel lookouts for large groups should wear distinctive brightly coloured clothing and be equipped with binoculars, polarised sunglasses and communications equipment so that effective communications can be made with the snorkelling supervisor and people in the water. (29) The Supervisor and snorkel supervisor must assess the snorkel registration form of all participants to identify any persons at higher risk when snorkelling. The Supervisor and snorkel supervisor must ensure that persons at higher risk when snorkelling have adequate supervision (e.g. by reducing the number of other snorkellers in a guide's group, or by visually identifying the higher risk snorkellers using different coloured snorkels or other PPE). (30) A WOC plan as per the Work Off-Campus and Fieldwork Procedure for snorkelling must include: (31) Where the work is complex or where groups of over 8 persons are snorkelling, the plan should be completed on a separate snorkel plan to be attached to the WOC plan. (32) As per the Work Off-Campus and Fieldwork Procedure, WOC plans should be completed in UQSafe-Field Trip. (33) A risk assessment must be prepared by a person competent as a snorkel supervisor under this Procedure for all snorkelling work in accordance with the UQ Health and Safety Risk Assessment Procedure. (34) In circumstances where the UQ Risk Management Database is not accessible to the entire snorkelling team, alternative methodologies that comply with the How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021 (Qld) may be utilised. These methodologies may be used to implement more effective controls in the event of variation in the previously identified hazards in Supervisor approved assessment. (35) The hazard identification checklist in the approved snorkel plan should be used to assist in identifying the potential hazards. (36) The snorkel supervisor must ensure that: (37) Due to the consequences of becoming entangled in unseen objects, snorkelling must not be conducted where there is: (38) Breath-hold diving must not be conducted where there is: (39) A suitable small auxiliary vessel must be immediately available to assist with emergency procedures where snorkelling is conducted from a vessel larger than 12m measured length. (40) On navigable waters a dive flag in compliance with local regulation should be flown in a way to maximise visibility. In most waters, this is the international code of signals Code A flag. (41) Where snorkelling is conducted from a vessel at night, the vessel must display restricted in ability to manoeuvre lights in accordance with Rule 27 of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972. (42) Due to the unavoidable risk of shallow water blackout, no work utilising breath hold diving should be conducted deeper than 15m. (43) At all times, snorkellers undertaking breath-hold diving must work in pairs, with one snorkeller remaining at the surface while the second undertakes a breath-hold dive. The snorkeller remaining at the surface must be in a state of immediate readiness to rescue the breath-hold diver and should maintain visual contact with the breath-hold diver at all times the breath-hold diver is underwater. (44) Breath-hold diving must not be undertaken following compressed gas diving until the diver has off-gassed the residual inert gas. Using DCIEM tables, the diver should have a repetitive factor of 1.0 before undertaking any breath-hold dive. (45) All snorkellers undertaking snorkelling at night must carry a minimum of two light sources. One of these light sources should be a chemical light stick attached to a highly visible part of the snorkeller such as the snorkel. (46) Emergency plans must be in writing and provide procedures for: (47) Staff at all levels at The University of Queensland have specific responsibilities for ensuring occupational health and safety. Senior officers, Managers, and Supervisors have duties under relevant legislation to exercise due diligence to ensure the health and safety of participants engaged in snorkelling. (48) Snorkelling participants have duties relating to workers under relevant legislation to take reasonable care for their own health and safety, and for the health and safety of other persons. (49) Senior officers have the following additional responsibilities: (50) Supervisors have the following additional responsibilities: (51) Workers must: (52) In addition to the responsibilities in clause 51, snorkel supervisors must: (53) In addition to the responsibilities in clause 51, snorkel guides are responsible for: (54) In addition to the responsibilities in clause 51, snorkel guides are responsible for: (55) In addition to the responsibilities in clauses 51 and 54, snorkel lookouts are responsible for: (56) Snorkel lookouts may also act as the master of a small vessel (under 12m) providing that those duties do not interfere with the provision of adequate supervision or adversely affect the capacity to respond to an emergency. (57) All snorkellers are responsible for disclosing to the University any relevant medical condition that may effect that snorkeller's safety (see ‘Fitness to Snorkel’ provisions). (58) As the first line of defence, senior officers will monitor and review operational activities, risks and controls associated with snorkelling and breath-hold diving activities. Monitoring and reviews performed at this level will be facilitated by OHS staff and is generally embedded in the routine processes, procedures and activities of front line operating management. (59) The Health, Safety and Wellness Division will monitor and review the compliance practices and health and safety management performance across the University to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of the related controls associated with snorkelling and breath-hold diving. (60) Organisational units must retain WOC plans, including any additional snorkelling plans, for a minimum of seven (7) years after completion of the work. (61) An assessment of competency must be made for all persons undertaking snorkelling and recorded on the approved form which must be kept by the organisational unit for a minimum of three (3) years after the completion of the work. (62) A written snorkelling record of persons entering and returning from the water must be made. Where snorkelling is conducted from a vessel independent counts by two persons appointed by the snorkel supervisor must be made before the vessel leaves the site to ensure all persons have returned, or by one (1) person using two independent methods. In the latter case, one of these methods must be an active count such as a role call or signature sheet. A record must be made and kept by the organisational unit for a minimum of one (1) year after the completion of the work. (63) If an incident occurs, relevant WOC plans, snorkeller registration forms and snorkel records must be attached to the incident report.Snorkelling Procedure
Section 1 - Purpose and Scope
Top of PageSection 2 - Process and Key Controls
Top of PageSection 3 - Key Requirements
Fitness to Snorkel
Competency
Minimum Competency for all Snorkelling and Breath-hold Diving Workers
Requirements for Snorkel Guides
Requirements for Snorkel Lookouts/Rescuers
Requirements for Snorkel Supervisor
Minimum size of Snorkelling Teams
Snorkelling Operations in Open Water
Snorkelling Operations in Water Depths up to 1.5m
Snorkelling Operations in Sheltered Open Water
Supervision of Large Groups
Work Off-campus (WOC) Plan for Snorkelling
Risk Management
Conditions Under Which Snorkelling and Breath-hold Diving Should Not be Undertaken
Snorkelling From Large (Over 12m Measured Length) Vessels
Management of Risk from Non-associated Vessel Traffic
Shallow Water (Hypoxic) Blackout
Breath-hold Diving Following Compressed Gas Diving
Snorkelling at Night
Emergency Plans
Top of Page
Section 4 - Roles, Responsibilities and Accountabilities
Senior Officers
Supervisors
Workers
Snorkel Supervisor
Snorkel Guide
Snorkel Rescuer
Snorkel Lookout
Snorkeller (Including Undergraduate Students)
Section 5 - Monitoring, Review and Assurance
Section 6 - Recording and Reporting
Section 7 - Appendix
Definitions, Terms, Acronyms
Terms
Definitions
Breath-hold Diving
Snorkelling where the worker is submerged to an extent where they are unable to breathe for the duration of the dive.
HSW Division
The Health, Safety and Wellness Division of The University of Queensland.
OHS Risk Assessment
May refer to one or multiple OHS risk assessments.
Relevant Legislation
Refers collectively to all laws associated with the work or activity being undertaken, the relevant work health and safety laws of Queensland and those associated with the local jurisdiction where the work is being undertaken. Legislation in this context includes Acts, Regulations, Codes of Practice and relevant standards. E.g. Work Health and Safety Act 2011(Qld), Biosecurity Act 2015 (Cth), Occupational Diving Work Code of Practice 2005 (Qld)
Risk
The possibility that harm (injury, illness or death) might occur when exposed to a hazard.
Senior Officers
The Senior Executives, Executive Deans, Heads of School and Directors of Institutes and major centres and the Directors of central services and administrative divisions.
Sheltered Open Water
A body of water that is not a swimming pool that provides swimming pool-like conditions - no or minimal current, clear visibility of underwater surrounds, minimal wave or sea state. For example, a coral reef lagoon where the tide height is below the reef crest.
Snorkelling
Swimming in any body of water other than a swimming pool using a mask and/or snorkel without the use of other breathing apparatus.
Supervisor
Means the person responsible for day to day supervision of a staff member or other person so designated by the University (see the University of Queensland Enterprise Agreement 2021-2026, or as amended or replaced).
Work Off-campus (WOC)
Commonly known as fieldwork. Work off-campus relates to research, teaching, learning, instruction or other activities, which takes place at locations that are not registered as UQ sites. Work off-campus may include unfamiliar surroundings or uncontrolled environments.
Workers
Staff, students, visitors, volunteers and contractors of The University of Queensland.
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