NOAA DIVING PROGRAM UNIT DIVING SUPERVISOR Operational Guidelines Revised 22 September 2015 Andrew W. David, Fisheries LODO A Message from the NOAA Diving Control and Safety Board The Unit Diving Supervisor is the most important position in the NOAA Diving Program. You are the final arbiter for all diving related activities at your unit: when dives occur, how the dives are executed, and who goes in the water. You are also the conduit between the NOAA Diving Control and Safety Board and your divers, explaining policies and procedures down the chain and elevating concerns and needs up the chain. Many things will be required of you as UDS. Some are tangible; others are intangible. The tangible items are listed in the following pages – which reports you need to complete, the forms required for a range of situations, etc. However the intangible requirements are far more important and impossible to define in a manual. These skills are acquired over time, and require diligence, constant attention, and the avoidance of complacency. Your decision making skills define your performance as a UDS. People’s lives depend on the decisions you make. The toughest part of the job will be to maintain safety as your highest priority and not let friendships or pressure from project leaders or supervisors exert undue influence. You are not alone in this position, your LODO/SODO and the Safety Board will back you up on tough calls. Use these resources often. The remainder of this manual is devoted to the tangible items you will use to administer the UDS duties. The UDS Manual begins with descriptions of the most common activities you will undertake as a UDS (e.g., how to file a dive plan, how to select Divemasters). Each report, form, or checklist is included in this manual and prefaced with a description of when and how it should be used. These documents were current at the time this manual was written, however please refer to the NDP website for the most recent versions. While there is a lot of information in this manual, it is not meant as a substitute for the standards, policies and procedures in the NOAA Diving Standards and Safety Manual (NDSSM). You should have a copy and be familiar with the NDSSM and refer to it when you are uncertain how to proceed with any particular issue. The NDSSM is revised periodically, so policies that are drafted between revisions are codified through the OMAO 0300 series. These official policies are produced by the NOAA Diving Control and Safety Board (NDCSB) and become effective after the Director, OMAO signs them. The OMAO 0300 policies can be found on the NOAA Diving Program (NDP) website. Another resource you should utilize is your LODO or SODO. Remember your LODO or SODO works for you; they represent you on the NDCSB. If you have a problem or concern, raise it to your LODO or SODO. NOAA Diving Program, UDS Manual, Page i Table of Contents Message from the NDCSB ............................................................................................................................ i Quick Reference Guide of Dive Unit Schedules........................................................................................... 1 Distinguishing Between OSHA-exepmt and OSHA-compliant Dives ........................................................... 2 Submitting a Dive Plan ................................................................................................................................ 4 Creating a new NOAA Diver ........................................................................................................................ 6 Reciprocity Divers ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Observer Divers ........................................................................................................................................ 13 Volunteer Divers ....................................................................................................................................... 15 Safe Manning Levels ................................................................................................................................. 19 Choosing Divemasters and Lead Divers .................................................................................................... 21 Reporting Dive Incidents ........................................................................................................................... 22 Annual Report ........................................................................................................................................... 34 Annual Inspections.................................................................................................................................... 35 Monthly Inspections ................................................................................................................................. 37 Annual Refreshers and Drills ..................................................................................................................... 39 Dive Unit Logbook ..................................................................................................................................... 40 NOAA Diving Program Documentation List ............................................................................................... 41 Administration Diving Incident Report Form, NF 57-03-01 ............................................................................................... 43 Diving Unit Annual Report, NF 57-03-02 ................................................................................................... 46 Diving Unit Safety Inspection (DUSA) Checklist, NF 57-03-03 ................................................................... 49 Diving Unit Change Form, NF 57-03-04 ..................................................................................................... 66 Review for NOAA Diver Reciprocity, NF 57-03-05 ..................................................................................... 68 Letter of Reciprocity Request Form, NF 57-03-06 ..................................................................................... 70 Verification of Liability Coverage, NF 57-03-07 ......................................................................................... 72 Observer Diver Waiver of Liability, NF 57-03-08 ....................................................................................... 74 NDP Liability Release and Assumption of Risk, NF 57-03-09 ..................................................................... 77 Agreement Approving Diving Operations from NOAA Owned or Contracted Vessel, NF 57-03-10 .......... 79 NOAA Volunteer Diver Service Agreement, NF 57-03-11.......................................................................... 81 NOAA Corps Officer Diving Authorization Request, NF 56-30 ................................................................... 83 Dive Operations and Logs Dive Operations Plan, NF 57-03-20 ........................................................................................................... 86 Diving Emergency Assistance Plan (DEAP), NF 57-03-21 ........................................................................... 88 Dive Operations Plan – Safe Ship, NF 57-03-22 ......................................................................................... 91 Pre-Dive and Post-Dive Checklist, NF 57-03-23 ......................................................................................... 94 Monthly Dive Log, NF 57-03-24 ................................................................................................................ 96 Supervisor Dive Log, NF 57-03-25 ............................................................................................................. 98 Observer Diver Report, NF 57-03-26 ....................................................................................................... 100 Decompression Diving Request, NF 57-03-28 ......................................................................................... 102 Closed Circuit Rebreather (CCR) Decompression Diving Request, NF 57-03-29 ...................................... 113 Certification and Training Annual Diver Training Record, NF 57-03-34 ............................................................................................ 125 Report of NOAA Skills Evaluation Checkout Dive, NF 57-03-35 .............................................................. 127 NOAA Diver Skills Checkout Checklist, NF 57-03-36 ................................................................................ 130 NOAA Diver Training Course, Student Evaluation Record, NF 57-03-37 ................................................. 133 Training Request and Authorization Form, NF 57-03-38 ......................................................................... 135 Swim Test Evaluation, NF 57-03-39 ........................................................................................................ 137 Annual Watermanship Assessment, NF 57-03-40 ................................................................................... 139 Diving Activity Resume, NF 57-03-41 ...................................................................................................... 141 Medical and Diving Physical Report of Physical Examination, NF 57-03-50, NF 57-03-51, NF 57-03-52 .............................................. 144 Report of Medical History – Observer