SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 17 Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Commercial Fisheries P.O. Box 240020 Douglas, AK 99824-0020 March 2002 ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME MANUAL FOR DIVING SAFETY Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Commercial Fisheries P.O. Box 240020 Douglas, AK 99824-0020 March 2002 Approved on behalf of the Dive Safety Board by: MeHebert Effective Date ADF&G Dive Safety Officer ' The special Publication Series was established in 1989 for the publication of departmental symposium or workshop proceedings, strategic fishery management plans, manuals, reprints of theses or dissertations pertinent to Alaskan fishery management, and other atypical publications of the Division of Commercial Fisheries. In general, the series is intended for fishery professionals and technically oriented fishing industry representatives. Distribution generally will be limited to selected libraries, fishery-related agencies, and interested departmental staff. Copies may be requested from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game at the address on this page. Because articles in this series may not have undergone full editorial processing and complete peer review and may be published elsewhere in the formal literature, they should not be cited without approval of the author or the division. FOREWORD This is the third edition of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s (ADF&G) Dive Safety Manual. The first edition was written by Dave Barto and Gary Liepitz and was adopted in January of 1992. The second edition (effective April 1997) was written to resolve many outstanding issues regarding training, equipment, reciprocity and safe dive practices that had been identified by ADF&G staff over the previous several years. The April 1997 manual, as well as this current edition, draws heavily upon three sources: the American Academy of Underwater Science (AAUS) Standards for Scientific Diving Certification and Operation of Scientific Diving Program, the Manual for Diving Safety of the University of California, San Diego, and the first and second editions of the Alaska Department of Fish and Games’ Dive Safe Practices Manual. This manual was adopted by the ADF&G Dive Safety Board by consensus in March 2002 following a process of review, discussion, and editing. This manual is divided into two main chapters, each specific to the department’s diving missions and subsequent governing regulations as defined by OSHA regulations 29 CFR Ch. CVII. Chapter I: Weir Diving (non-exempt OSHA regulations) Chapter II: Scientific Diving Standards (OSHA scientific exemption) 2 DIVE CONTROL BOARD MEMBERS Kyle Hebert William Bechtol ADF&G Dive Safety Officer Region II Local Dive Safety Officer Commercial Fisheries Division of Commercial Fisheries 16 Sing Lee Alley 3298 Douglas Place Petersburg, AK 99833 Homer, AK 99603-7942 [email protected] [email protected] (907) 772-5237 (907) 235-1741 David Barto Richard Yanusz Region I Local Dive Safety Officer Region II Local Dive Safety Officer Habitat and Restoration Sport Fish Division P.O. Box 240020 1800 Glenn Hwy., Suite 4 Douglas, AK 99824-0020 Palmer, AK 99645 [email protected] [email protected] (907) 465-4268 (907) 746-6324 Marc Pritchett George Pappas Region I Local Dive Safety Officer Region IV Acting Local Dive Safety Officer Division of Commercial Fisheries Division of Commercial Fisheries Douglas, AK 99824 211 Mission Rd. [email protected] Kodiak, AK 99615-6399 (907) 465-4244 [email protected] (907) 486-1806 Ken Pitcher Carl Schoch Region II Local Dive Safety Officer Region II Local Dive Safety Officer Wildlife Conservation Kachemak Bay Research Reserve 525 West 67th Ave. Habitat & Restoration Division Anchorage, AK 99518 2181 Kachemak Dr. [email protected] Homer, AK 99603 (907) 267-2363 [email protected] (907) 235-4799 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page FOREWORD ..........................................................................................................................................2 DIVE CONTROL BOARD MEMBERS..................................................................................................3 LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................................7 LIST OF APPENDICES..........................................................................................................................7 CHAPTER I — WEIR DIVING (NON-EXEMPT OSHA REGULATIONS)...........................................8 SECTION 1.00 — GENERAL POLICY, WEIR DIVING STANDARDS............................................8 1.10 Weir Diving Definition .............................................................................................................8 SECTION 2.00 — LINE TENDERING...............................................................................................8 2.10 OSHA Section 1910.424. .........................................................................................................8 2.20 Exemption to Line Tendering ....................................................................................................9 SECTION 3.00 — BUOYANCY COMPENSATORS .........................................................................9 SECTION 4.00 — DIVE FLAGS ........................................................................................................9 SECTION 5.00 — DIVING RESTRICTED TO WEIR AND IMMEDIATE ENVIRONS .................10 SECTION 6.00 — AUTHORIZATION TO DIVE.............................................................................10 SECTION 7.00 — MINIMUM DIVE ACTIVITY TO MAINTAIN CERTIFICATION.....................10 SECTION 8.00 — WEIR DIVING SAFETY.....................................................................................10 8.10 Boat Traffic............................................................................................................................10 8.20 Hypothermia...........................................................................................................................10 8.30 High Water.............................................................................................................................10 8.40 Entanglement..........................................................................................................................11 8.50 First Aid.................................................................................................................................11 CHAPTER II — SCIENTIFIC DIVING STANDARDS (OSHA SCIENTIFIC EXEMPTION) .............13 SECTION 1.00 GENERAL POLICY — SCIENTIFIC DIVING STANDARDS................................13 1.10 Purpose..................................................................................................................................13 1.20 Operational Control ................................................................................................................14 1.21 ADF&G Auspices Defined..................................................................................................14 1.22 ADF&G’s Scientific Diving Standards and Safety Manual ..................................................14 1.23 The Diving Safety Officer ...................................................................................................15 1.24 The Diving Safety Board.....................................................................................................16 1.25 Local Dive Safety Officer(s) ...............................................................................................17 1.26 Instructional Personnel........................................................................................................18 1.27 Dive Master or Lead Diver..................................................................................................18 1.28 Reciprocity and Visiting Scientific Diver .............................................................................19 1.29 Waiver of Requirements......................................................................................................19 1.30 Consequence of Violation of Regulations by Scientific Divers..................................................19 1.40 Consequences of Violation of Regulations by ADF&G............................................................19 1.50 Record Maintenance ...............................................................................................................19 SECTION 2.00 — DIVING REGULATIONS FOR SCUBA (OPEN CIRCUIT, COMPRESSED AIR) ..................................................................................................................................................20 2.10 Introduction............................................................................................................................20 2.20 Pre-Dive Procedures ...............................................................................................................20 2.21 Dive Plans ..........................................................................................................................20 2.30 Diving Procedures ..................................................................................................................21 2.31 Solo Diving Prohibition.......................................................................................................21 2.32 Refusal to Dive...................................................................................................................22