Disclaimer: This resource has been prepared to help the workplace parties understand some of their obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and regulations. It is not legal advice. It is not intended to replace the OHSA or the regulations. For further information please see full disclaimer.
The purpose of this fact sheet is to outline the roles and responsibilities of workplace parties with respect to hazards that may be present while diving to retrieve golf balls at golf courses.
The sale of second-hand golf balls has become a lucrative business over the past several years. A growing number of companies are offering their services to recover golf balls from golf course ponds and other water hazards.
The retrieval of golf balls from Ontario golf course ponds and water hazards must be carried out with the same attention to safety, detail and care as any commercial diving operation.
Diving activities to retrieve golf balls must be conducted in accordance with the Regulation for Diving Operations and the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that only qualified and competent divers are used to safely recover golf balls from bodies of water on golf courses. It is the responsibility of owners, constructors, employers and diving supervisors to ensure that all workplace parties comply with the provisions of the OHSA and Ontario Regulation 629/94 (Diving Operations, the “Diving Regulation”).
At least 24 hours before the diving operation commences, employers and golf course owners must give notice of the diving operation to the Ministry of Labour regional dive office closest to the diving operation. A list of the regional dive offices is provided in this fact sheet, and is also available on the Ministry of Labour website.
The Diving Regulation requires every employer, owner and constructor associated with a diving operation to prepare operational and contingency plans, in writing, with input from one or more of the appointed diving supervisors.
The written operational plan must:
The written contingency plan should include site-specific measures and procedures to manage a diving emergency. For example, the plan should include provisions for:
The duties of diving supervisors under the Diving Regulation include, but are not limited to:
Divers have duties under the Diving Regulation that include, but are not limited to:
Owners, constructors, employers and diving supervisors all have responsibilities for the safety of divers and other workplace parties. There are many factors to consider for safe diving practices. Here are some additional requirements from the Diving Regulation:
Call 1-877-202-0008 anytime to report workplace health and safety incidents or for general inquiries about health and safety at the workplace.
Eastern Region
347 Preston Street, 4th Floor
Ottawa, ON K1S 3J4
Tel: 613-228-8050 ext.3055
Toll-free: 1-800-267-1916
Fax: 613-727-2900
Western Region
119 King Street West, 13th Floor
Hamilton, ON L8P 4Y7
Tel: 905-577-6221
Toll-free: 1-800-263-6906
Fax: 905-577-1324
217 York Street, 5th Floor
London, ON N6A 5P9
Tel: 519-439-2210
Toll-free: 1-800-265-1676
Fax: 519-672-0268
4510 Rhodes Drive, Suite 610
Windsor, ON N8W 5K5
Tel: 519-256-8277
Toll-free: 1-800-265-5140
Fax: 519-258-1321
Northern Region
159 Cedar Street, Suite 301
Sudbury, ON P3E 6A5
Tel: 705-564-7306 ext. 47306
Toll-free: 1-800-461-6325
Fax: 705-564-7437
Central Region
17345 Leslie Street, Unit 102
Newmarket, ON L3Y 9A3
Tel: 905 953-3999
Toll-free: 1-888-299-3138
Fax: 905-715-7609
Disclaimer: This web resource has been prepared to assist the workplace parties in understanding some of their obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and the regulations. It is not intended to replace the OHSA or the regulations and reference should always be made to the official version of the legislation.
It is the responsibility of the workplace parties to ensure compliance with the legislation. This web resource does not constitute legal advice. If you require assistance with respect to the interpretation of the legislation and its potential application in specific circumstances, please contact your legal counsel.
While this web resource will also be available to Ministry of Labour inspectors, they will apply and enforce the OHSA and its regulations based on the facts as they may find them in the workplace. This web resource does not affect their enforcement discretion in any way.
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