PSDA Safety Inspector Exam key terms

The individual formally assigned authority and responsibility for a specific dive operation, including go/no-go decisions, team supervision, and compliance with the diving safety program.

The documented, unambiguous line of authority from the diving program manager through supervisors to individual divers, ensuring every participant knows whom to obey and who is accountable for each decision.

The on-site leader who directs diving operations at the worksite, verifies team readiness, controls dive timing and depth limits, and halts diving when conditions or personnel are not fit.

A fully equipped, ready diver stationed at the entry point who can enter the water immediately to assist or recover a diver in difficulty, and who is not assigned other concurrent duties.

A trained team member who manages a diver's umbilical or lifeline, monitors communications and dive time, and relays signals between the diver and the supervisor.

A diving practice in which two divers remain paired, monitor each other continuously, and share emergency response so that neither dives alone under conditions requiring a partner.

The controlling written document that states an organization's diving policies, responsibilities, procedures, and standards, and against which audits and inspections measure actual practice.

Task-specific, step-by-step instructions that translate program policy into repeatable field actions, including pre-dive checks, descent, work, ascent, and emergency steps.

A formal process for reviewing and approving changes to equipment, procedures, personnel, or site conditions before implementation, so that new hazards are identified and controlled.

A voluntary technical standard developed and approved by a recognized standards body through balanced stakeholder agreement, often adopted by regulation or contract as a minimum practice.

A legally binding rule issued by a government authority that imposes mandatory requirements, enforceable through citations, penalties, or operational shutdown.

The legal obligation of an employer or supervisor to protect divers and support personnel from foreseeable harm by providing safe systems of work, training, and equipment.

The degree of caution and competence a reasonable, similarly situated diving organization would exercise, used as the benchmark when judging whether conduct was negligent.

Failure to exercise the standard of care owed to another, comprising a duty, a breach of that duty, causation, and resulting harm, proven in civil proceedings.

The structured process of defining objectives, depth and time limits, gas requirements, team assignments, emergency contingencies, and abort criteria before any diver enters the water.

A documented evaluation that identifies hazards, estimates likelihood and severity of harm, and records controls and residual risk for a dive operation or worksite.

A task-level breakdown that lists sequential work steps, the hazards associated with each step, and the specific controls workers must apply during that task.

The systematic search for conditions, activities, or equipment states that could cause harm, performed before and during operations and revisited when conditions change.

The formal, recorded judgment by the responsible supervisor that conditions, personnel, equipment, and plans meet requirements sufficiently to begin or continue a dive.

A contemporaneous record of each dive capturing date, location, depth, bottom time, gas used, personnel, and notable events, retained as evidence of program compliance.

Documentation showing that diving equipment was examined, by whom, on what date, with what result, and when the next inspection is due.

A documented check of each diving system and component immediately before use to confirm it is complete, functional, within service life, and free of visible damage.

A visible marker and removal-from-use control applied to defective or overdue equipment so it cannot be inadvertently issued or used until repaired and released.

A procedure that isolates energy sources and attaches personal locks and tags so equipment cannot be energized or pressurized while maintenance or repair is underway.

The bundled hose and cable assembly supplying breathing gas, communications, and sometimes power or heat to a diver, subject to inspection for kinks, abrasion, and leaks.

The machine that compresses ambient air or gas for diver breathing supply, requiring intake placement away from exhaust, filtration, and routine maintenance to prevent contamination.

Laboratory or on-site sampling of breathing gas for oxygen content, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oil mist, water vapor, and other contaminants against defined acceptance limits.

The condition of supplied gas meeting specified limits for oxygen fraction and contaminants so that it is safe to breathe at the planned depth and duration.

The complete chain of cylinders, banks, compressors, filters, manifolds, and hoses delivering breathing gas, each element requiring inspection, labeling, and pressure integrity checks.

A periodic pressure test of a breathing gas cylinder performed at a defined interval to verify structural integrity, after which the cylinder is stamped with the test date.

A written, site-specific plan describing recognition of emergencies, assigned roles, rescue and medical response steps, communication paths, and evacuation or transport arrangements.

A scheduled rehearsal of emergency procedures, such as a lost-diver or injured-diver response, used to test the EAP and reveal gaps before a real incident occurs.

The required notification and written documentation of injuries, near misses, equipment failures, or dangerous occurrences to management and, where mandated, to regulators.

An unplanned event that did not cause injury or damage but had the potential to do so, reported and investigated because it reveals latent program weaknesses.

A structured inquiry that gathers physical evidence, interviews, and records to determine what happened, why safeguards failed, and what corrective actions are required.

A method such as the five-why or fault-tree technique used to trace an incident beyond immediate causes to underlying management, training, or design deficiencies.

A defined, assigned, and dated change made to eliminate a detected deficiency, tracked to completion and verified effective during follow-up review.

An independent, systematic examination of program records and field practice against stated requirements, producing findings, ratings, and required corrective actions.

A targeted verification that specific regulatory or program requirements are met at a site, using checklists, observation, interviews, and document sampling.

Documentation of a person's completed instruction, certifications, practical evaluations, and refresher dates, used to confirm current qualification before assignment.

The formal process of verifying and granting recognition that a person holds the qualifications required for a specific diving role or task.

The combination of training, certification, documented experience, and medical fitness that permits a diver to perform assigned work under defined conditions.

A physician's written determination that an individual is medically fit for diving duties, stating any restrictions and the date by which re-examination is required.

A program rule barring diving without a buddy or surface-monitored standby, except where a documented risk assessment and specific controls authorize an exception.