The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. |
Dive plan may include: | objectives maximum time and depth gas consumption and rules planned turn around roles and sequence of divers within the group communication signals decompression requirements contingency management. |
Relevant legislation may include: | occupational health and safety sinkhole access and permit requirements environmental regulations. |
Organisational policies and procedures may include: | occupational health and safety: medically fit to dive in sinkholes risk management and emergency procedures communication protocols manufacturer's design specifications and recommendations for equipment use Australian Speleological Federation Codes and Guidelines: Cave Safety Guidelines Code of Ethics and Conservation Minimal Impact Caving Code Cave Diving Code of Practice. |
Hazards may include: | rock piles fauna and flora unstable roof changed surface weather conditions phobias water depth decompression entanglement current. |
Risks may include: | near drowning hypothermia injury separation from group or buddy cramps exhaustion Decompression Illness (DCI). |
Sources of stress may include: | light failure lost buddy out of air situation silt out lost line cold water narcosis dislodged mask. |
Communication techniques may include: | hand signals light signals line signals torch signals written notes. |
Personal equipment may include: | diving equipment safety and rescue equipment communication equipment navigation equipment. |
Group equipment may include, but not be limited to: | shot-lines decompression or safety tanks emergency first aid equipment. |
Underwater breathing systems may include: | redundant side mounted SCUBA redundant back mounted SCUBA manifolded SCUBA systems. |
Sinkhole diving skills may include: | anti-silting buoyancy control propulsion navigation. |
Buoyancy control may include: | correct weighting hovering controlled descent and ascent level swimming. |
Anti-silting techniques may include: | buoyancy control propulsion techniques gear management body trim. |
Minimal impact techniques may include: | avoiding sensitive areas keeping to marked routes. |
Features may include: | rock-piles thermoclines haloclines flora and fauna in the sinkhole silty floors loose roofs speleothems bones fossils fixed lines survey stations current. |
Strategies to reduce risk may include: | pre-dive checks low silting propulsion continuous guidelines to the surface redundant breathing gas and regulator supplies backup lights shot lines. |
Buddy diving procedures may include: | monitoring buddy providing emergency gas to buddy where required. |
Techniques to deal with stress may include: | use of backup light or breathing supply buddy or octopus breathing with buddy controlled exit from the dive emergency ascent relaxation or breathing techniques. |
Navigation aids may include: | sinkhole map survey markers compass water flow trogged paths fixed guidelines and markers. |
Use of cave reel may include: | deploying and retrieving the line maintaining tension locking or unlocking the reel. |
Relevant aspects may include: | planning processes communication systems sinkhole diving skills and minimal impact techniques buoyancy control and anti-silting techniques. |