Occupational Diving in Australia and New Zealand
For Occupational Diving in Australia and New Zealand, all divers who intend to undertake construction diving work are required under the various State and Territory Occupational Health and Safety legislative arrangements to have an appropriate occupational diving certificate in accordance with Australian and New Zealand standards.
For any occupational diving sectors where certification is not regulated, an ADAS certificate of competency at an appropriate level will serve as of proof of competency for the regulatory authority.
Offshore Diving Outside of Australia and New Zealand
All offshore oil and gas operators require that divers who are undertaking diving operations are ADAS certified and demonstrate competency.
In almost all cases, satisfying the certification requirement means having a qualification that is approved by the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA – the peak trade association for matters dealing with offshore diving). ADAS qualifications are approved by IMCA for all offshore diving and supervisor qualifications. You can find a lisst of approved qualification on the IMCA website.
This list does not take precedence over national laws regulating occupational diving operations. The specific national requirements legislated in relation to occupational diving will always take precedence over codes of practice and operator requirements.
For instance, as noted above, Australian and New Zealand specifically require that divers and supervisors have ADAS certification. Similar arrangements are in place in other countries (e.g. in Canada, divers must have a certificate issued by the Diver Certification Board of Canada. In the Netherlands, divers must have a certificate issued by the Netherlands National Diving Centre).