Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] PSUBS Standards Committee now forming: contact Doug Farrow at SeaLordOne@aol.com

["Mark Steed" <plutomark@mail.astate.edu>]

Doug: I'll step up. I will help anyway I can. Thanks for a truly great and important idea. Mark

Mark E. Steed
Arkansas State University Museum
110 Cooley Drive,PO Box#490
State University, AR 72467-0490 
USA
Tel#(870)972-2074 Fax#(870)972-2793
Email: plutomark@mail.astate.edu



---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: SeaLordOne@aol.com
Reply-To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
Date:  Wed, 19 Nov 2003 22:54:37 EST

>Shipmates,
>
>Hugo Marrero's white paper entitled "do we need safety standards for private 
>submersibles?" generated some interesting discussion at this year's PSUBS 
>convention.  My take on the conclusion was, yes we need them, but no, PSUBS does 
>not currently have the resources to take on such a major project.  What we can 
>do, today, is to collect, organize, describe, and recommend existing industry 
>standards.  We can put a "safety standards" section on the PSUB's website that 
>will educate our community about the current industry standards and show 
>everyone where they may obtain copies of these standards.
>
>I have volunteered to lead a committee to generate this information.  This is 
>an "ad hoc" committee, meaning that unless something changes, it will 
>dissolve once we deliver our final products.  While the final products will be 
>determined by the will, size, and talents of the committee, I do have a working 
>vision of the sorts of products we will deliver:
>
>1.    A listing of the titles of the current version of the primary 
>submersibles 
>       standards and guidelines.
>2.    A summary of the documents, and where/how to obtain a copy.
>3.    A paper discussing related topics.  Do I certify my boat?  If so, how?  
>What is 
>       involved?  How much does it cost?  What do I do about insurance?
>
>That is my initial take on the final products.  An initial listing of 
>standards I have found on my own includes:
>
>1.    Rules for building and classing underwater vehicles, systems and 
>hyperbaric facilities (2002): American Bureau of Shipping.
>
>2.    Rules and regulations for the construction and classification of 
>submersibles and underwater systems (1989): Lloyd's register.
>
>3.    Guidelines for the design, construction and operation of passenger 
>submersible craft (2001): International Maritime Organization (United Nations      
> 
>       Organization).
>
>4.    Safety standards for pressue vessels for human occupancy (2002): 
>American Society for Mechanical Engineers.
>
>5.    Guidance for the certification of passenger carrying submersibles 
>(1993): United States Coast Guard.
>
>The committee, once formed, can get into a discussion of how far we want to 
>spread out looking for standards.  The offshore drilling industry has 
>guidelines for its submersibles (Association of Offshore Diving Contractrors) for 
>example.  The Welding Research Council has guidelines for steel.  Do  we want to 
>include those as well?  We do need to put some limits on how far we will take 
>this.  For myself, I would rather deliver on a modest goal than fail to deliver 
>on an ambitious one.
>
>How will we organize and manage this project?  For today, I am putting out 
>this call for volunteers.  Later I will put out a call for standards, to tap 
>into the knowledge base of the entire PSUBS community.  We will begin our work as 
>a community by simply sending e-mails to one another.  Each member of the 
>committee will send all comments to the entire committee.
>
>I am hoping the group will in time include at least a couple of people with 
>enough technical savvy to move us into some more efficient, collaborative, 
>web-based communication method.  But to get us started, I am simply asking those 
>who want to participate on the PSUBS Standards Committee to send me an e-mail 
>at SeaLordOne@aol.com.
>
>Please indicate any knowledge, skills or expretise you have that may be of 
>particular relevance to this project, and any resources (technical, 
>informational or managerail) you may be able to bring to the table.  If all you have to 
>bring to the table is a desire to assist the community, well, that is quite 
>enough indeed.  A lot of this work will invlove simpy reading and summarizing 
>existing standards.  The distribution of labor will depend on the size and 
>diversity of the group who volunteers.  We need  to have our final product up and 
>running prior to the next annual convention.
>
>Ray has agreed to serve on the committee.  This assures us of the PSUBS seal 
>of approval, and also provides the requisite level of adult supervision for me 
>and the chaps who sign up for the group.
>
>Who is with me on this?
>
>'Doug Farrow
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