Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024
(a) SCUBA Diving (Compressed Air and Mixed
Gas).
(1) Limits:
(A) Compressed air SCUBA diving shall not be
conducted at depths greater than 130 fsw (40 msw).
EXCEPTION: SCUBA diving to a maximum depth of 190 fsw
(58 msw) is permitted for scientific and technical diving operations, providing
the diver(s) has been certified for the depth reached.
(B) SCUBA diving shall not be conducted at
depths greater than 100 fsw (30 msw) unless a recompression chamber is ready
for use or procedures have been established at the dive location for emergency
evacuation of the diver(s) to a recompression chamber.
SCUBA diving shall not be conducted at depths greater
than 100 fsw (30 msw) and outside no-decompression limits unless a
decompression chamber is available within four (4) hours of the dive
location.
(C) SCUBA diving
shall not be conducted against currents exceeding one (1) knot unless
line-tended.
EXCEPTION to section
6056(a)(1)(C):
Technical divers performing film and TV diving operations in controlled
environments can artificially increase currents above one (1) knot provided the
artificial current can be reduced to one (1) knot or less in case of an
emergency and the dive team is trained to work in such
conditions.
(D) SCUBA diving
shall not be conducted in enclosed or physically confining spaces unless
line-tended.
EXCEPTION to section
6056(a)(1)(D):
Technical divers performing film and TV diving operations in controlled
environments can work in enclosed or physically confined spaces without being
line-tended provided the dive team is trained to respond to an emergency in
such conditions.
(2) Procedures.
(A) A standby diver shall be available while
a diver is in the water.
(B) A
diver shall be line-tended from the surface or accompanied by another SCUBA
diver in the water where they shall remain in effective communication with each
other and be able to render immediate assistance in case of an emergency
throughout the diving operation.
EXCEPTION to section
6056(a)(2):
Technical divers shall be deemed to be in compliance with section
6056(a)(2)
provided the employer complies with either subsection (A) or
(B).
(C) A diver shall be
stationed at the underwater point of entry when diving is conducted in enclosed
or physically confining spaces; or an orientation line shall be used in
enclosed spaces where there is a probability of entrapment or
disorientation.
(D) If loss of
effective communication occurs, within a buddy team, all divers shall surface
and re-establish contact.
(E) Each
diver or buddy team shall have an adequate depth gauge and underwater time
keeping device.
(F) Each diver
shall have a submersible pressure gauge for monitoring SCUBA tank pressure,
capable of being monitored by the diver during the dive.
(G) The dive shall be terminated while there
is still sufficient tank pressure to permit the diver to safely reach the
surface (including decompression time if a decompression chamber is not
provided at the dive site).
(H)
Each diver shall have the capability of achieving and maintaining positive
buoyancy.
(I) A diver-carried
reserve breathing gas supply shall be provided for each diver consisting of:
1. A manual reserve (J valve); or
2. An independent reserve cylinder with a
separate regulator or connected to the underwater breathing
apparatus.
(J) The valve
of the reserve breathing gas supply shall be in the closed position prior to
the dive.
(3) If mixed
gas is used as the breathing media, appropriate diving tables shall be
used.
(4) Closed and semi-closed
circuit SCUBA (rebreathers) shall meet the following requirements:
(A) Oxygen partial pressure (PO2) in the
breathing gas shall not exceed 1.5 Atmospheres at depths greater than 25 fsw
(7.6 msw).
(B) Chemicals used for
the absorption of carbon dioxide shall be kept in a cool, dry location in a
sealed container until required for use.
(C) The designated-person-in-charge shall
determine that the carbon dioxide absorption canister is used in accordance
with the manufacturer's specification.
(D) Each diver shall be notified of the
absorption time of the canister before entering the water.
(E) Closed and semi-closed diving equipment
will not be used at a depth greater than that recommended by the manufacturer
of the equipment.
(5)
Hookah.
(A) Hookah diving shall be permissible
only during technical diving operations.
(B) Hookah divers shall comply with all SCUBA
diving procedures in this section except for the depth limitations contained in
Section 6056(a)(1). Hookah
diving shall not be conducted at depths greater than 30 fsw (9 msw).
(C) A non-return valve shall be connected to
the mask, helmet, or second stage of the SCUBA regulator.
(D) When using hookah, each diver shall wear
a safety harness with:
1. A positive buckling
device;
2. An attachment for the
primary gas hose to distribute the pull force of the line and to prevent strain
on the mask, helmet, or second stage regulator; and
3. A lifting point to distribute the pull
force of the line over the diver's body.
(E) Divers using the hookah mode shall be
equipped with a regulator and an independent reserve breathing gas supply
sufficient to return to the surface.
(F) Each hookah diver shall be hose-tended by
a separate dive team member while in the water.
(G) The hookah breathing gas supply shall be
sufficient to support all hookah divers in the water for the duration of the
planned dive, including decompression.
(H) Second stage regulators used for hookah
shall be designed to function within the delivered breathing gas supply
pressure at the diver's working depth.
(b) Surface-Supplied-Air-Diving.
(1) Limits.
(A) Surface-supplied air dives with bottom
times greater than 30 minutes shall be conducted at depths not to exceed 190
fsw (58 msw). Dives with bottom times of less than 30 minutes may be conducted
to depths of 220 fsw (67 msw).
(B)
Except when heavy gear is worn or diving is conducted in physically confining
spaces a bell shall be used for dives with inwater decompression times greater
than 120 minutes.
(C) For
heavy-gear diving deeper than 100 fsw or outside the no-decompression limits:
1. An extra breathing gas hose capable of
supplying breathing gas to the diver in the water shall be available to the
standby diver.
NOTE: The pneumofathometer hose if equivalent to the
breathing gas hose in strength and flow capacity and properly plumbed to
breathing gas source, will be considered satisfactory for this
purpose.
2. An inwater stage
shall be provided to divers in the water.
(D) Except when heavy gear is worn or where
physical space does not permit, a diver-carried reserve breathing gas supply
shall be provided whenever the diver is prevented by the configuration of the
dive area from ascending directly to the surface.
(E) A decompression chamber shall be ready
for use at the dive location for any dive outside the no-decompression limits
or deeper than 100 fsw.
(2) Procedures.
(A) A separate dive team member shall
continuously tend each diver in the water.
(B) Continuous two-way voice communications
between the diver and the surface shall be maintained for each surface-supplied
diver in the water.
(C) A diver
equipped with surface-supplied gear, or a pair of SCUBA divers, shall hose-tend
at the underwater point of entry when diving is conducted in enclosed or
physically confining spaces.
(D)
Each diving operation shall have a primary breathing gas supply sufficient to
support all divers in the water for the duration of the planned dive, including
decompression.
(E) For dives deeper
than 100 fsw (30 msw) or outside the no-decompression limits:
1. A separate dive team member shall tend
each diver in the water;
2. A
standby diver shall be available while a surface supplied diver is in the
water;
3. A diver-carried reserve
breathing gas supply shall be provided for each diver.
4. A dive-location reserve breathing gas
supply shall be provided.
(F) Gauges and Timekeeping Devices.
1. Gauges indicating diver depth which can be
read at the dive location or dive site shall be used for all dives.
2. A timekeeping device shall be available at
each dive location.
(c) Liveboating.
(1) General. Employers engaged in diving
operations involving liveboating shall comply with the following
requirements.
(2) Limits. Diving
operations involving liveboating shall not be conducted:
(A) With an inwater decompression time of
greater than 120 minutes;
(B) Using
surface-supplied air at depths deeper than 190 fsw, except that dives with
bottom times of 30 minutes or less may be conducted to depths of 220
fsw;
(C) Using mixed gas at depths
greater than 220 fsw;
(D) In rough
seas which significantly impede diver mobility or work function; or
(E) In other than daylight
hours.
(3) Procedures.
(A) The propeller of the vessel shall be
stopped while the diver enters or exits the water.
(B) A device shall be used which minimizes
the possibility of entanglement of the diver's hose in the propeller of the
vessel.
(C) Two-way voice
communication between the tender(s) and the person controlling the vessel shall
be available while the diver is in the water.
(D) A standby diver other than the operator
of the vessel shall be available while a diver is in the water.
(E) A diver-carried reserve breathing gas
supply shall be carried by each diver engaged in liveboating
operations.
1.
Amendment of subsections (a)(5)(A), (b)(1)(A) and (b)(2)(E) filed 5-30-80;
effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 80, No. 22).
2.
Amendment of subsection (a)(1)(C), new subsections (a)(1)(D), (a)(2)(J)-(K),
(b)(1)(E) and (b)(2)(E)1. and subsection renumbering filed 11-28-2017;
operative 11-28-2017 pursuant to Government Code section
11343.4(b)(3).
Submitted to OAL for filing and printing only pursuant to Labor Code section
142.3(a)(3)
(Register 2017, No. 48).
3. Amendment filed 6-1-2021; operative
10-1-2021 (Register 2021, No. 23).
Note: Authority cited: Section
142.3, Labor
Code. Reference: Section
142.3, Labor
Code.
