Sunstar Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment & Management

Risk Management

Scuba diving is inherently hazardous. The risks associated with the sport are mitigated through a number of controls and adherence to the guidelines laid by the British Sub Aqua Club. The BSAC training program as laid down in the Instructor's Handbook is designed to minimise this risk through a sequence of progressive lessons _ both theory and practical _ to build up the necessary skills in a progressive and structured manner.

Generic risks that are addressed through the standard diving training program include:

Ear damage, mask squeeze, buoyancy control, equipment failure, running out of air, diver separation, poor technique(s), decompression illness, pre-dive equipment checks...

Further risks due to poor practice are addressed through adherence to the BSAC publication "Safe Diving Practices" and The Combined Diving Associations publication "Guidelines for the safe operation of member club dive boats".

All diving operations take place under the control of a qualified Dive Marshal. The responsibilities of the Dive Marshal include the on-site risk assessment, ensuring divers are suitably qualified/equipped/experienced for the dive to be undertaken, the conduct of the dive (depth/duration), assignment of buddy pairs and pre-dive briefings.

Sunstar and the Risk Management Process

Formal Risk Management is a relatively new activity for amateur Sub-Aqua clubs such as Sunstar Sub-Aqua. The important aspect of the activity is not the risk analysis itself, but the set of controls, diving practises and club recommendations which will be applied as a consequence of the risk analysis, in order to further improve safety over existing controls as listed above.

This process is continuous rather than atomic and as such will be subject to review as determined by the club committee. An initial draft is now in place. Controls for pool use and training are already applied now. Controls and recommendations for diving operations, together with the control mechanism that is yet to be determined (probably a new marshal checksheet), will be reviewed by the Sunstar Diving Sub-Committee and a final version will be in place before the commencement of open-water diving at the end of March 2005.

Guidelines for dealing with an incident/accident

Stay calm but act swiftly and observe the situation. Is there danger of further injuries?
Listen to what the injured person is saying.
Alert the first aider who should take appropriate action for minor injuries.
Whilst using Fore street pool the lifeguards on duty will administer first aid otherwise it is the Dive Marshall who is in possession of the club's first aid kit.
In the event of an injury requiring specialist treatment, call the emergency services.
Deal with the rest of the group and ensure that they are adequately supervised.
Do not move someone with major injuries. Wait for the emergency medics.
Contact the injured person's parent/carer/partner.
Do not talk to the Press. Press contacts are handled by BSAC HQ.
Complete an incident/accident report form.

Risk Assessments

In the following sections the significant risks associated with specific activities are identified. These are subdivided into:

Swimming Pool.
Training.
Shore Diving.
Boat Diving.

Pool

Sunstar hires the Fore Street pool from Ipswich Borough Council. The pool is used for general swimming, snorkelling and diver training. Qualified divers may use the pool to check out new pieces of equipment and to refresh their basic skills. Two IBC lifeguards are present.

Hazard	Who	Controls	Measures to deal with consequences if accident occurs
Health problems (eg Heart Attack)	All	Medical declaration/Referral to a referee	CPR by trained individuals. Emergency Services.
Slipping on pool surrounds	All	No running. Fins to be removed when out of the water	Assistance/First aid by trained individuals.
Trip hazards	All	All diving equipment to be placed out-of-the-way.	Assistance/First aid by trained individuals
Cylinders falling over	All	Cylinders etc to be laid horizontally when not in use.	Assistance/First aid by trained individuals
Drowning	All	All Club members have to pass a basic swim test before being accepted for training. Monitoring by pool-side staff.	CPR by trained individuals. Emergency Services.
Divers surfacing under swimmers.	Swimmers	One lane roped off for use by swimmers. Divers stay to other side. Snorkellers can use either	Assistance/First aid by trained individuals.

Training

Hazard	Who	Controls	Measures to deal with consequences if accident occurs
Panic	Trainees	Use of trained instructors Progressive training Adherence to BSAC recommendations	Assistance from Instructor.
Difficulty u/w	Trainees	Use of trained instructors Adherence to BSAC recommendations on Instructor/Student ratios	Assistance from Instructor.

Shore diving

Hazard	Who	Controls	Measures to deal with consequences if accident occurs
Entry/Exit	all	Check that entry and exit are possible all times or states of the tide during the diving period. Only enter if safe entry and exit is possible.	Application of First Aid. Emergency Services.
Deteriorating Weather	all	Marshal to obtain weather forecast before and during the trip. Weather conditions continually monitored by Dive Marshall during diving. Agreed method of diver recall.	Diver recall.
Entaglement in nets/lines/underwater obstructions	all	Carry a suitable diving knife and/or shears.	Buddy assistance
Injury	all	Availability of First Aid kit. Suitably trained personnel in the party.	Application of First Aid. Emergency Services.
Decompression Illness	All	Availability of 02 set. Suitably trained personnel in the party.	Application of 02. Emergency Services.
Loss of contact with shore cover.	All	Use of SMBs.	Emergency Services
Site Specific	All	Diving operations under the control of a qualified Dive Marshal able to assess the risk(s)

Boat Diving

Boat operations take place under the control of a trained Coxn. The boat must be equipped with suitable navigational aids (GPS, Compass, Charts) and carry VHF radio(s) for contact with the Coastguard. A First Aid Kit and 02 set must be carried as well as people competent in their use. A passage plan must be prepared.

Hazard	Who	Controls	Measures to deal with consequences if accident occurs
Entry/Exit	All	Check that entry and exit are possible all times or states of the sea during the diving period. Only enter if safe entry and exit is possible.	Application of First Aid. Emergency Services.
Deteriorating Weather	All	Marshal/Coxn to obtain weather forecast before and during the trip. Weather conditions continually monitored by Dive Marshal/Coxn during diving. Agreed method of diver recall.	Diver recall. Abort Diving operations.
Entaglement in nets/lines/underwater obstructions	all	Carry a suitable diving knife and/or shears.	Buddy assistance
Injury	all	Availability of First Aid kit. Suitably trained personnel in the party.	Application of First Aid. Emergency Services.
Decompression Illness	All	Availability of 02 set. Suitably trained personnel in the party.	Application of 02. Emergency Services.
Separation from boat.	all	Use of SMBs to track divers' location. Adequate planning on current strength and direction before and after slack water.	Contact other vessels/Coastguard.
Contact with dive boat/propeller	all	Trained Coxn/Skipper. Engine always in neutral when recovering divers. Use of shot line and or DSMB when surfacing.	First aid. Contact Coastguard.
Injury from other surface craft	all	Surface Cover to monitor/warn other craft of divers below. Display the "A" flag. Use of shot line and or DSMB when surfacing.	First aid. Contact Coastguard.
Failure of Navigation equipment	all	Passage plan to include course to safety.	Advise Coastguard of action
Failure of main engine	all	Use of auxiliary engine to enable recovery of divers and (slow) return.	Advise Coastguard of action
Failure of both engines.	all	Use of paddles for steerage. Anchor if possible.	Contact Coastguard
Unforseen problems or failure of communications	all	Coastguard advised on departure and return of diving location and number of bodies on board. Copy of the Passage Plan along with estimated time of return lodged with a competent person ashore.	Competent person contacts Coastguard if the boat does not return on time.

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