PSDA Safety Inspector Exam cheat sheet

A written diving safety manual is the program's controlling document: it must state scope, responsibilities, operational procedures, equipment standards, training requirements, and emergency procedures, and be reviewed at a defined interval with version control.

Program authority flows from a designated Diving Safety Officer (DSO) or equivalent; the manual must name who can approve a dive plan, who can suspend diving, and who owns records.

Compliance evidence is documentary: dive logs, equipment inspection records, training files, gas quality certificates, and incident reports must be retrievable and retained per the program's stated retention schedule.

A dive is authorized only when four conditions are documented: qualified personnel, a written plan, inspected and in-date equipment, and a briefed emergency plan.

Depth and exposure limits (no-decompression limits, maximum planned depth, repetitive-dive rules) belong in the manual as written rules, not as informal practice.

Audit trail rule: any deviation from the manual must be recorded as a variance with justification, approval level, and compensating controls.

Standards hierarchy: statute/regulation governs; where silent, the adopted consensus standard (e.g., scientific diving or commercial diving consensus practice) applies; the program manual may be stricter but not looser.

Program metrics that indicate compliance health: percentage of dives with completed logs, equipment inspection currency rate, overdue training, and open corrective actions from audits.

Duty of care arises from four sources: statutory/regulatory obligation, contractual obligation, assumed duty (written policies and manuals), and the ordinary reasonable-person standard of care in the activity.

A published safety manual creates an assumed duty: failure to follow your own written procedure is treated as a breach even if the procedure exceeded legal minimums.

Negligence elements to establish in an investigation: duty owed, breach of that duty, causation (actual and proximate), and damages.

Regulatory frameworks commonly engaged: occupational safety and health rules for employees, commercial diving regulations for compensation diving, and scientific diving exemptions that apply only when specific conditions are met.

Consensus standards are not law unless adopted by reference in regulation or contract; adoption converts recommended practice into an enforceable requirement.

Supervisor liability: a person directing a dive can bear personal responsibility for assigning an unqualified diver, failing to verify gas/equipment, or ignoring a known hazard.

Documentation rule: if it is not written down, the legal presumption favors the injured party; contemporaneous records carry far more weight than reconstructed ones.

Consent and disclosure: divers must be informed of known hazards and operational limits; waivers do not extinguish duties to provide reasonable care.

Minimum team for a working dive: a supervisor/dive leader, a diver, and a standby (tender) diver capable of immediate rescue; deeper or higher-hazard operations add a tender and a designated attendant.

The Dive Supervisor has stop-work authority and is the single decision authority for the dive; no diver self-authorizes a change to plan, depth, or gas.

Standby diver duties: dressed and ready, in-water response time per plan, remains on the line/at the entry point, and does not perform unrelated tasks.

Tender/attendant duties: line tending, communications, monitoring time and depth, and initiating emergency response on loss of communication.

Communication protocol: check-in interval defined in the plan (e.g., every 5 minutes), with a missed check-in escalating to the emergency action plan after a stated grace period.

Chain of command must be briefed pre-dive, including who assumes supervisor authority if the supervisor is incapacitated.

Role separation rule: the person tending a diver cannot also be the compressor operator, boat handler, or recorder when that would leave the diver unmonitored.

Briefing must confirm each member can state their role, emergency signals, recall signal, and the location of the nearest chamber and oxygen.

Qualification file contents: certification card or equivalent, training completion records, logged dive history, medical clearance, CPR/first aid/oxygen provider currency, and supervisor authorization letter.

Currency rules are program-specific but must be written: e.g., a minimum number of logged dives per period and a required recency dive before resuming unsupervised work.

Medical clearance must be issued by a provider familiar with diving physiology and must state fitness for diving with any restrictions; a general fitness note is insufficient.

Supervisor authorization is a separate credential from diver certification: it requires documented experience, a formal evaluation, and a written appointment.

Specialty qualifications (dry suit, full-face mask, chamber operator, gas blender, nitrox/trimix) require separate documented training and are not implied by open-water certification.

Training records must show date, instructor/authority, content, and evaluation outcome; certificates alone without content are weak audit evidence.

Expiration tracking: maintain a single register of all credentials with expiry dates and alert thresholds so no diver deploys on a lapsed qualification.

Verification rule: credentials from outside agencies must be verified with the issuing body or by documented skills evaluation before being accepted.

Plan elements: objective, personnel and roles, site and entry/exit, maximum depth and bottom time, breathing gas and consumption calculation, decompression schedule, contingency plans, and abort criteria.

Gas planning rule: compute required volume from surface consumption rate x ambient pressure x time, then apply a reserve (commonly one-third out, one-third back, one-third reserve for penetration work).

Risk assessment method: identify hazards, rate likelihood and severity, assign controls in hierarchy (eliminate, substitute, engineer, administrate, PPE), and record residual risk acceptance.

Environmental hazards to assess: current, visibility, entanglement, overhead environment, depth, temperature, altitude, boat traffic, and contamination/water quality.

Abort criteria must be numeric and pre-agreed (e.g., loss of communication, gas below reserve, visibility below threshold, diver distress) so the decision is not made under stress.

No-decompression planning requires a backup decompression capability: sufficient gas and a plan for omitted decompression, plus oxygen and chamber access.

Solo diving, penetration diving, and mixed-gas diving require explicit written authorization and additional controls beyond the standard plan.

Pre-dive briefing and post-dive debrief are both documented; the debrief records actual vs. planned profile and any anomalies.

Cylinder inspection: visual inspection on a defined interval (commonly annual) and hydrostatic test on the interval set by the governing regulation or standard for the cylinder type; markings must be legible and current.

Regulator and valve servicing follows manufacturer intervals and requires a trained technician; records must show date, technician, parts replaced, and test results.

Pre-dive checks are user-level and documented on a checklist: gas pressure and mix, valve function, regulator breathing performance, BCD inflation and dump, weights and releases, gauges, cutting tool, and lights.

Buoyancy compensator and dry suit function tests include inflation, overpressure relief, and leak check; failures remove the item from service until repaired.

Equipment log rule: every item carries a unique identifier linking it to its service history; items without traceable history are treated as unserviceable.

Out-of-service tagging is mandatory: defective gear must be physically segregated and tagged so it cannot be issued.

Depth gauges, computers, and timing devices require accuracy verification per manufacturer interval; a failed check requires recalibration or retirement.

Lifting and rigging gear used in diving operations requires periodic proof testing and certification records separate from life-support equipment records.

Breathing air must meet the adopted purity standard for oxygen content, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oil mist/hydrocarbons, water vapor, and total volatiles; the certificate must state the standard applied.

Air sampling frequency is set by the program and standard: at minimum after any compressor maintenance, filter change, or relocation, and on a defined routine interval; records retained.

Carbon monoxide is the critical acute hazard: sources include intake near exhaust, engine exhaust entrainment, and overheating compressor oil; a CO monitor with alarm is a required control on many systems.

Intake placement rule: locate the intake upwind of exhausts, away from engine exhaust, building vents, and vehicle traffic, and above the local dust/contaminant layer.

Compressor operation controls: drain condensate traps regularly, monitor oil level and temperature, log run hours, and change filter elements on the manufacturer schedule or earlier if sampling shows degradation.

Gas mixing (nitrox/trimix) requires a trained blender, an oxygen-clean system, analyzed and labeled cylinders, and a written analysis record with the analyzer used.

Cylinder filling requires a fill log linking cylinder ID, gas mix, final pressure, date, and operator; cylinders must be labeled with mix and maximum depth.

Storage and handling: separate oxygen-clean components, secure cylinders upright, and protect valves and regulators from contamination and impact.

An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) must be site-specific: nearest chamber and contact, local EMS and coast guard contacts, evacuation route and times, oxygen and first aid location, and who calls whom.

Decompression illness response sequence: remove from exposure, 100% oxygen, horizontal positioning, maintain hydration if conscious, monitor airway, and evacuate to a chamber; do not delay transport for on-site treatment.

Missing-diver protocol: recall signal, search pattern assignment, notification timeline, and the defined point at which external agencies are called.

Accident scene management: preserve evidence, record times and actions, secure equipment without altering it, and separate factual recording from speculation.

Reporting thresholds must be written: any injury requiring treatment, any chamber treatment, any near-miss, and any equipment failure with injury potential.

Notification chain and timelines (supervisor, DSO, insurer, regulator) are part of the plan and must be tested in drills.

Drills are the proof of plan adequacy: at least annual (or per program interval) exercises covering diver recall, rescue, oxygen administration, and communications failure, with a written after-action review.

Post-incident support includes medical follow-up and critical incident stress management for team members.

Audit types: document review (manual, records), compliance inspection (observed practice vs. written rule), and systems audit (does the program detect and correct its own failures).

Sampling rule: select records across time and personnel, not just the best recent examples; a random sample of dive logs and equipment records reveals systemic gaps.

Observation checklist approach: watch a full dive evolution from briefing through debrief and record deviations from the written procedure rather than opinions.

Incident investigation sequence: secure the scene, collect factual statements separately and promptly, gather records and equipment, establish timeline, identify causal and contributing factors, then issue findings.

Root cause technique: ask why repeatedly until reaching a management-system cause; distinguish immediate cause (act) from root cause (policy, training, supervision, design).

Human factors to evaluate: fatigue, task loading, communication breakdown, normalization of deviation, and production pressure.

Findings must be classified (nonconformity, observation, opportunity) with an owner, due date, and verification of closure; open findings are tracked to completion.

Corrective action effectiveness is verified by re-audit or re-sampling, not by accepting a stated fix; repeat findings indicate a failed corrective action process.

A written diving safety manual is the program's controlling document: it must state scope, responsibilities, operational procedures, equipment standards, training requirements, and emergency procedures, and be reviewed at a defined interval with version control.

Program authority flows from a designated Diving Safety Officer (DSO) or equivalent; the manual must name who can approve a dive plan, who can suspend diving, and who owns records.

Compliance evidence is documentary: dive logs, equipment inspection records, training files, gas quality certificates, and incident reports must be retrievable and retained per the program's stated retention schedule.

A dive is authorized only when four conditions are documented: qualified personnel, a written plan, inspected and in-date equipment, and a briefed emergency plan.

Depth and exposure limits (no-decompression limits, maximum planned depth, repetitive-dive rules) belong in the manual as written rules, not as informal practice.

Audit trail rule: any deviation from the manual must be recorded as a variance with justification, approval level, and compensating controls.

Standards hierarchy: statute/regulation governs; where silent, the adopted consensus standard (e.g., scientific diving or commercial diving consensus practice) applies; the program manual may be stricter but not looser.

Program metrics that indicate compliance health: percentage of dives with completed logs, equipment inspection currency rate, overdue training, and open corrective actions from audits.

Duty of care arises from four sources: statutory/regulatory obligation, contractual obligation, assumed duty (written policies and manuals), and the ordinary reasonable-person standard of care in the activity.

A published safety manual creates an assumed duty: failure to follow your own written procedure is treated as a breach even if the procedure exceeded legal minimums.

Negligence elements to establish in an investigation: duty owed, breach of that duty, causation (actual and proximate), and damages.

Regulatory frameworks commonly engaged: occupational safety and health rules for employees, commercial diving regulations for compensation diving, and scientific diving exemptions that apply only when specific conditions are met.

Consensus standards are not law unless adopted by reference in regulation or contract; adoption converts recommended practice into an enforceable requirement.

Supervisor liability: a person directing a dive can bear personal responsibility for assigning an unqualified diver, failing to verify gas/equipment, or ignoring a known hazard.

Documentation rule: if it is not written down, the legal presumption favors the injured party; contemporaneous records carry far more weight than reconstructed ones.

Consent and disclosure: divers must be informed of known hazards and operational limits; waivers do not extinguish duties to provide reasonable care.

Minimum team for a working dive: a supervisor/dive leader, a diver, and a standby (tender) diver capable of immediate rescue; deeper or higher-hazard operations add a tender and a designated attendant.

The Dive Supervisor has stop-work authority and is the single decision authority for the dive; no diver self-authorizes a change to plan, depth, or gas.

Standby diver duties: dressed and ready, in-water response time per plan, remains on the line/at the entry point, and does not perform unrelated tasks.

Tender/attendant duties: line tending, communications, monitoring time and depth, and initiating emergency response on loss of communication.

Communication protocol: check-in interval defined in the plan (e.g., every 5 minutes), with a missed check-in escalating to the emergency action plan after a stated grace period.

Chain of command must be briefed pre-dive, including who assumes supervisor authority if the supervisor is incapacitated.

Role separation rule: the person tending a diver cannot also be the compressor operator, boat handler, or recorder when that would leave the diver unmonitored.

Briefing must confirm each member can state their role, emergency signals, recall signal, and the location of the nearest chamber and oxygen.

Qualification file contents: certification card or equivalent, training completion records, logged dive history, medical clearance, CPR/first aid/oxygen provider currency, and supervisor authorization letter.

Currency rules are program-specific but must be written: e.g., a minimum number of logged dives per period and a required recency dive before resuming unsupervised work.

Medical clearance must be issued by a provider familiar with diving physiology and must state fitness for diving with any restrictions; a general fitness note is insufficient.

Supervisor authorization is a separate credential from diver certification: it requires documented experience, a formal evaluation, and a written appointment.

Specialty qualifications (dry suit, full-face mask, chamber operator, gas blender, nitrox/trimix) require separate documented training and are not implied by open-water certification.

Training records must show date, instructor/authority, content, and evaluation outcome; certificates alone without content are weak audit evidence.

Expiration tracking: maintain a single register of all credentials with expiry dates and alert thresholds so no diver deploys on a lapsed qualification.

Verification rule: credentials from outside agencies must be verified with the issuing body or by documented skills evaluation before being accepted.

Plan elements: objective, personnel and roles, site and entry/exit, maximum depth and bottom time, breathing gas and consumption calculation, decompression schedule, contingency plans, and abort criteria.

Gas planning rule: compute required volume from surface consumption rate x ambient pressure x time, then apply a reserve (commonly one-third out, one-third back, one-third reserve for penetration work).

Risk assessment method: identify hazards, rate likelihood and severity, assign controls in hierarchy (eliminate, substitute, engineer, administrate, PPE), and record residual risk acceptance.

Environmental hazards to assess: current, visibility, entanglement, overhead environment, depth, temperature, altitude, boat traffic, and contamination/water quality.

Abort criteria must be numeric and pre-agreed (e.g., loss of communication, gas below reserve, visibility below threshold, diver distress) so the decision is not made under stress.

No-decompression planning requires a backup decompression capability: sufficient gas and a plan for omitted decompression, plus oxygen and chamber access.

Solo diving, penetration diving, and mixed-gas diving require explicit written authorization and additional controls beyond the standard plan.

Pre-dive briefing and post-dive debrief are both documented; the debrief records actual vs. planned profile and any anomalies.

Cylinder inspection: visual inspection on a defined interval (commonly annual) and hydrostatic test on the interval set by the governing regulation or standard for the cylinder type; markings must be legible and current.

Regulator and valve servicing follows manufacturer intervals and requires a trained technician; records must show date, technician, parts replaced, and test results.

Pre-dive checks are user-level and documented on a checklist: gas pressure and mix, valve function, regulator breathing performance, BCD inflation and dump, weights and releases, gauges, cutting tool, and lights.

Buoyancy compensator and dry suit function tests include inflation, overpressure relief, and leak check; failures remove the item from service until repaired.

Equipment log rule: every item carries a unique identifier linking it to its service history; items without traceable history are treated as unserviceable.

Out-of-service tagging is mandatory: defective gear must be physically segregated and tagged so it cannot be issued.

Depth gauges, computers, and timing devices require accuracy verification per manufacturer interval; a failed check requires recalibration or retirement.

Lifting and rigging gear used in diving operations requires periodic proof testing and certification records separate from life-support equipment records.

Breathing air must meet the adopted purity standard for oxygen content, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oil mist/hydrocarbons, water vapor, and total volatiles; the certificate must state the standard applied.

Air sampling frequency is set by the program and standard: at minimum after any compressor maintenance, filter change, or relocation, and on a defined routine interval; records retained.

Carbon monoxide is the critical acute hazard: sources include intake near exhaust, engine exhaust entrainment, and overheating compressor oil; a CO monitor with alarm is a required control on many systems.

Intake placement rule: locate the intake upwind of exhausts, away from engine exhaust, building vents, and vehicle traffic, and above the local dust/contaminant layer.

Compressor operation controls: drain condensate traps regularly, monitor oil level and temperature, log run hours, and change filter elements on the manufacturer schedule or earlier if sampling shows degradation.

Gas mixing (nitrox/trimix) requires a trained blender, an oxygen-clean system, analyzed and labeled cylinders, and a written analysis record with the analyzer used.

Cylinder filling requires a fill log linking cylinder ID, gas mix, final pressure, date, and operator; cylinders must be labeled with mix and maximum depth.

Storage and handling: separate oxygen-clean components, secure cylinders upright, and protect valves and regulators from contamination and impact.

An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) must be site-specific: nearest chamber and contact, local EMS and coast guard contacts, evacuation route and times, oxygen and first aid location, and who calls whom.

Decompression illness response sequence: remove from exposure, 100% oxygen, horizontal positioning, maintain hydration if conscious, monitor airway, and evacuate to a chamber; do not delay transport for on-site treatment.

Missing-diver protocol: recall signal, search pattern assignment, notification timeline, and the defined point at which external agencies are called.

Accident scene management: preserve evidence, record times and actions, secure equipment without altering it, and separate factual recording from speculation.

Reporting thresholds must be written: any injury requiring treatment, any chamber treatment, any near-miss, and any equipment failure with injury potential.

Notification chain and timelines (supervisor, DSO, insurer, regulator) are part of the plan and must be tested in drills.

Drills are the proof of plan adequacy: at least annual (or per program interval) exercises covering diver recall, rescue, oxygen administration, and communications failure, with a written after-action review.

Post-incident support includes medical follow-up and critical incident stress management for team members.

Audit types: document review (manual, records), compliance inspection (observed practice vs. written rule), and systems audit (does the program detect and correct its own failures).

Sampling rule: select records across time and personnel, not just the best recent examples; a random sample of dive logs and equipment records reveals systemic gaps.

Observation checklist approach: watch a full dive evolution from briefing through debrief and record deviations from the written procedure rather than opinions.

Incident investigation sequence: secure the scene, collect factual statements separately and promptly, gather records and equipment, establish timeline, identify causal and contributing factors, then issue findings.

Root cause technique: ask why repeatedly until reaching a management-system cause; distinguish immediate cause (act) from root cause (policy, training, supervision, design).

Human factors to evaluate: fatigue, task loading, communication breakdown, normalization of deviation, and production pressure.

Findings must be classified (nonconformity, observation, opportunity) with an owner, due date, and verification of closure; open findings are tracked to completion.

Corrective action effectiveness is verified by re-audit or re-sampling, not by accepting a stated fix; repeat findings indicate a failed corrective action process.