The Seahorse Dive Club

SDC Operations 2018/2019

The Seahorse Dive Club

Operations Handbook

Health and Safety Information

Risk Assessments for Diver Skills Progression Sites

Club Members should acquaint themselves with the content by reading the on-line copy.

Contents

Section 1.

General Information:

Professional Members:

Shore Cover/ Management of any Diving Project

Section 2

Risk Assessment and General Safety Information - Club Organised Dives

Activity:

‘Staff’:

Equipment:

Air cylinders

Section 3

Risk Assessment - General Diving

Dive Abandonment Actions:

Dive Sites Used by SDC for the Progression Scheme:

Site 1: Cromhall

Site 2: Vobster

Site 3: Chepstow (NDAC)

Site 4: Stoney Cove

Swimming Pools/ Confined Water (when the Club rents the facility):

End

Appendices

Section 1.

General Information:

On any occasion that The Seahorse Dive Club(hereinafter “SDC”) attends a pool or open water training session, or any diving experience trips organized under the SDC banner, weare required to enforce minimum requirements with regard to all diving activities, both on shore and in the water. Any person involved in managing or supporting such trips is required tofulfil the requirements and expectations of the club.

SDC has a duty of care to all participants in any dive operation in which we are involved. We must ensure that any diver, student, Instructor, or Divemaster is competent and aware of what is required, and what is happening.

To participate in any dive operation, a minimum of one of the following requirements is to be met by all divers involved:

1. Qualified for the expected task, preferably with recent log book experience
2. Under supervision or being guided within industry standards
3. Under tuition or participating in a course with anassociated instructor/school.

In addition to this, there must be the following documentation:

1. A completed membership joining application, (current full member status),
2. A completed membership medical form on file
3. A competed club liability release form on file.

This is for the PROTECTION of SDC, and all involved.

“Club Instructors” working individually or with an associated SCUBA School:

Are required to run and manage all training activities to current guidelines from the UK HSE.

Training and refresher courses help to ensure that our skills are fresh, making it safer for ourselves and other divers. This applies for all members of theSDC.

Skills progression days are run at selected sites to assist new divers to gain confidence and improve their own dive management. (See Page 9.)

As professionals, we must show professionalism in our attitude, mannerisms and conversations. We must show enthusiasm to all aspects of our sport. A positive attitude results in more diving for everyone. Negative aspects and comments are to be avoided around clients and students. We have chosen this route. Look at the end reward – that of making someone else’ dream come true - remember how excited you were when you first dived.

Being professional also requires that your kit is in good working order and has been serviced by an accredited service technician.

Professional Members:

We are not a teaching organisation, though we have members who are qualified to teach, and they may offer courses through the club communications system.

All professional club members (Instructors, Assistant Instructors, and Divemasters), are to ensure that they have an up to date HSE medical certificateif they wish to operate on a fee-earning basis– and provide a copy for the student’s perusal.Personal liability insurance is required and evidence of this must be provided, even if no fees are charged.

All diving is to be conducted within the appropriatediver education and training system diving limits for the course, with a maximum of 40m.

Shore Cover/ Management of any Diving Project:

When such tuition is underway, Shore Marshalls are to be at the water’s edge whilst divers are in the water and confirm the length/ depth/ route of dive with the instructors/ leaders prior to diver entries.

SDC Membersmanaging the dayare to ensure that any documentation requiredfor the diving project is completed - this includes the recording of;

• Buddy Pair identities,
• Individual divers’ Air in/ Air out,
• Planned depth of dive, and recorded depth of dive.
• Planned dive duration.And recorded dive duration.

THIS DATA GATHERING IS ESSENTIAL to ensure that student dive logs may be completed and in the unlikely event an incident occurs, we have accurate information. This task MAY be delegated to a shore marshal, but you are responsible for checking at the end of the day.

Section 2

Risk Assessment and General Safety Information - Club Organised Dives

Activity:The main activity of scuba diving is outside of everyday living experiences. Complete training will be given to bring the risk to an acceptable level and by adapting principles of the UK dive industry and PADI safe practice and standards.

‘Staff’:Experience and qualified to the appropriate level: A minimum operation team of three qualified divers: Instructor, Divemaster, and Shore Marshal) is to be maintained throughout any open water training session. In-water supervision is to be provided at a ratio appropriate to the projectrequirements. All staff members are to be introduced at each briefing session.

Diving Supervisor: This is the person in overall charge of the dive operation and they will be designated prior to the day. (When diving from a boat, this is usually the skipper.)

Instructor/ Dive Leader: This is the person directly in charge of the project. In open water they conduct all training and skill evaluations with students. They are appointed by the dive supervisor.

Dive Master:A DM may be used to facilitate the ratios appropriate to the site conditions and to assist where required with instructors. They are responsible for supervising students whilst the instructor is demonstrating or watching other students. They are required to ask the Instructor/Dive Leader prior to the dive for confirmation of the instructor’s requirements.

Shore Cover:The Shore Marshal isrequired to monitor the whole operation, to help with equipment allocation and offer general assistance as required. They must also provide and monitor waterside support, and administer and coordinate emergency procedures. They are to remain vigilant and in a state of readiness on the shore, and ensure completion of all documentation work during and after the dive operation.

Equipment:The club does not own any equipment beyond the O2 kit and Gas Analyser. All the school equipment is serviced regularly, and in accordance with the manufacturers’ recommendation. It is the reasonability of the diversthatuse their own equipment to ensure that their own equipment is maintained as required.

Each diver will conduct the dive, with the equipment according to the standards set out by PADI and the HSE.

Divers must have a DSMB/ reel, as well as knife and signalling devices as required by PADI.

A pre-dive visual inspection will be carried out by the dive supervisor. It is the responsibility of ALL staff to ensure that all equipment is not carelessly damaged whilst at the dive site.

Shore cover will have a first aid kit and O² kit, and will be aware of the sites emergency plan.

Air cylinders:Members’ cylinders are to be marked as per their contents. Nitrox/ Enriched air should only be used by those trained to useit or under instruction by a qualified instructor.

Section 3

Risk Assessment- General Diving

Risk / Hazard / Control
Manual Handling / Muscular-skeletal injury due to inexperience in handling dive equipment
Feet (crush) injury / Vehicles to be parked as close as possible to entrance to water.
Complete and detailed demonstration of how to handle heavy dive equipment.
Encourage the use of buddy system in putting on/ taking off equipment.
Ensure components are placed as near to the entry point, prior to assembly.
** consider whether BCD has integrated weights! **
Slips and Trips / Slipping and falling:
On paths or car parks
On rocks
Walls and entry points / Warn all persons arriving at the site that
the area can be slippery when wet or icy
Warn all persons on the site of the hazards
moving around site
Discourage running
Encourage rubber dive boots
Exertion and Fatigue
Medical Illness / Exacerbation of respiratory and circulatory medical conditions / All participates to read and sign medical statement.
Where any issues are raised as a result of this statement, medical advice should be sought and a written medical certificate obtained.
Any illness, such as cold, etc. - the person should not undertake diving.
Water Hazard / Drowning / Students must be able to swim before participating in any in-water activity.
Where possible/applicable there should be a Shore Marshal watching whilst divers are out.
The minimum dive party is 2 people in the water at all times.
A site briefing is to take place, exits. First aid provisions and emergency procedures related to the site.
A pole or line must be available for rescue and assistance.
In-water numbers should be in compliance with PADI and HSE guidelines. This may be reduced where conditions/ locations require. The diving supervisor is to undertake a specific RA on day.
Diving Cylinders and Equipment / Manual Handling
Malfunction
Sudden air release
Contaminated air / Refer to manual handling above.
Regular service and visual inspection of all dive equipment to prevent malfunction.
Sudden air release must be shut down and noted on dive log sheet.
If contaminated air is suspected - remove from service and marked cylinder. Vent off and have cylinder cleaned. Note of dive log sheet.
Diving
Ascents and Descents / Barotraumas
DCS injuries
Lung injuries / Students to be removed from the water and correct first aid to be undertaken.
Rules to relation to breathing normally and equalising pressure to be reinforced throughout all sessions and briefings.
All diving to be undertaken in supervision of staff.
General diving hazards
Diving in water too deep to stand in.
Diving medical emergencies / Drowning
Barotrauma
Loss of control
Loss of buoyancy
Panic / Students must be able to swim before participating in any in-water sessions.
Rules to relation to breathing normally and equalising pressure to be reinforced throughout all sessions and briefings.
All diving to be undertaken in supervision of staff.
In-water numbers should be in compliance with PADI and HSE guidelines. This may be reduced where conditions/ locations require. The diving supervisor is to undertake a specific RA on day.
Entry into water (giant stride) into deep water. / Shallow water by mistake
Loss of control
Slipping before entry
Falling against side
Anxiety / Orientate and point out the deep/ shallow water.
Encourage rubber dive boots.
Supervise all deep entries only.
Make sure BCD has air in.
Weather
Air temperature
Water temperature
Sun and Heat
Fog or sea mist
Insects / Free flowing regulator
Hypothermia
Frost bite
Hyperthermia, sun stroke and heat exhaustion
Ice
Visibility on surface / Weather is to be appropriate to dive operation and experience of the group. This is to be assessed by the dive supervisor on the day. Equipment must be suitable for the environment in which it is to be used. The Minimum Standard is CE250.
Air and water temperature below 7°c must be treated as High Risk.
Sun lotion, insect repellent and water are to be carried by the team on hot/ sunny days.
If you cannot see the water due to bad visibility then wait until you can. Audible signalling must be carried by everybody.
Depth
Topography
Altitude
Visibility
Overhead environments
Wrecks
Drifts and currents / Little or no visibility
Disorientation
Entrapment
Out of air distance to surface
Bad air pockets
Swept away from entry exits / Recreational diving limits apply:
12m for non-qualifiedand Junior divers
18m for Open Water divers
For qualified divers the limit of the training and experience will be the deciding factor. This as general rule will be a maximum 40m. (BSAC Dive Leader 50m)
For dives beyond 30m, a redundant air supply is strongly recommended.
Navigation and orientation is vital. Dive leaders will be expected to lead with very little doubt or error. Individuals wishing to guide must be able to follow a planned dive route and be able to exit as planned.
Brief divers regarding buoyancy and depth control to help maintain visibility.
Use careful judgement in low visibility conditions.
Buddy lines in extreme conditions
Lights and strobes
For any dive where there is some overhead environment then the 40m linear rule applies.
No stopping in air bells or pockets.
Carry signalling devices on all dives, especially on drifts. All staff are expected to carry a dsmb/ reel.

ALL DIVER TRAINING IS TO BE CONDUCTED UNDER HSE GUIDELINES AND PADI STANDARDS.

Dive Abandonment Actions:

Abandonment near entry:

If a diver is not able to continue or start a dive, then the procedure are as follows:

If a diver is within 15metres of the shore, then the buoyant surface swim must be made to the exit.

The Instructor or DM must supervise this, with the assistance of the shore cover.

Diver separation and Dive Emergency

In the unlikely event of a diver separation underwater:

The group will stop and wait a minute while looking round then do a normal ascent.

All students and staff will be told, that on separation, wait one minute then surface to be reunited with the rest of the dive team.

If diver is NOT found on the surface, then the alarm is to be raised after performing a primary surface search.

On completion of an emergency - a surface evaluation will then be made by the instructor, followed by a decision on how the dive will continue will be made by the team.

Dive Sites Used by SDC for the Progression Scheme:

All aspects of the previous General Risk Assessment apply. Note also that these sites have jetties (etc) with direct access to deep water and care should be taken at the water’s edge:

Site 1:Cromhall

Address: Cromhall Quarry, Cromhall, South Gloucestershire. GL12 8AA

Tel: 07901 832 862

Environment: Shallow quarry (Typically 15m)

Emergency Support: On site

Recompression: Ambulance

Notes: Good first stage training site.

______

Site 2:Vobster

Address: Vobster Diving Ltd, Upper Vobster, Radstock, Somerset. BA3 5SD

Environment: Medium depth quarry (Max depth 34m)

Emergency Support: On site

Recompression: Ambulance. Or Helicopter to upper car park.

Notes: Suitable for all levels of training and experience, from novice to technical.

______

Site3:Chepstow (NDAC)

Address:Tidenham, Chepstow, Gloucestershire, NP16 7LH

Environment: Deep quarry (Max depth 75m)

Emergency Support: On Site

Recompression: Helicopter / Ambulance

Notes: Suitable for all levels of training and experience, from novice to technical.

______

Site 4: Stoney Cove

Address: Stoney Cove, Sapcote Rd, Stoney Stanton, Leicester. LE94DW

Dive Centre 01455 273089Dive Store 01455 273089

Environment: Medium depth quarry (Max depth 35m)

Emergency Support: On site

Recompression: Helicopter / Ambulance

Notes: Suitable for all levels of training and experience, from novice to technical

Swimming Pools/ Confined Water (when the Club rents the facility):

Pool-side monitoring: A committee Member is to be present at all pool sessions.

First Aid: Small first aid kit located within the pool centre

Oxygen:Small O2 kit is located on the side of the pool when training is undertaken

Telephone:Mobile phones are available to all SDCmembers

Fire procedures:Verbal communication will be used to alert evacuation

See the General Risks List

BOAT diving Operational Risks.

• In addition to the General Risks listed above and to risks associated with shore diving (while on Jetties and Quays etc.) the following must be noted:
• The risk of falling overboard, especially while underway. (Dry-suit zippers should be closed.)
• The risk of seasickness due to motion or engine fumes
• The location of the Radio must be ascertained.
• The location of the First Aid Kit must be ascertained.
• The location of life raftsetc. must be ascertained.
• The SDC Dive Leader must liaise with the skipper.

NOTE: the skipper is in charge at all times and instructions must be followed.

End of Document

Revised by Mike H Scott March 2017

Operations / H&S Handbook– Issue5–March 20181