In the realm of diving activities, WorkCover Queensland defines two categories: general diving work and high-risk diving work.

General diving work encompasses tasks performed underwater while breathing compressed gas, excluding high-risk diving work. Examples of general diving work include scientific and resource management diving, photographic and film making diving, marine harvesting and aquaculture diving, recreational diving by workers (such as dive instructors and divemasters), minor work in bodies of water for vessel-related activities, and work incidental to business operations (e.g., actors in underwater films).

On the other hand, high-risk diving work involves tasks carried out underwater while breathing compressed gas and includes construction work (e.g., pipeline construction, ship renovation, dock refurbishment), testing, maintenance, or repair work of a minor nature related to a structure, inspection work to assess the need for maintenance, and recovery or salvage of large plant items or structures for commercial purposes. Notably, high-risk diving work excludes minor tasks in seas or marinas, like cleaning, inspecting, maintaining, or searching for vessels or moorings in good environmental conditions using light tools or plant.

All high-risk diving work must strictly adhere to the guidelines outlined in AS/NZS 2299.1: 2015 Occupational diving operations – Standard operational practice. This ensures that safety standards are maintained during these specialized diving operations.