Research Diving Oversight
Because the university does not have an active Dive Control Board and is not an organizational member of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), Ohio State researchers must collaborate with participating institutions to be exempt from OSHA commercial diving standards.
Once a collaborating institution is identified that meets OSHA regulations for commercial diving or has a scientific diving program that meets or exceeds the standards as set forth by AAUS, the PI and/or research staff must complete and submit the Scientific Diving Form in Docusign. This documentation must include a signature from the collaborating institution to certify compliance with relevant scientific diving board(s) and the collaborating institution’s scientific diving policy materials.
Diving
Principal Investigator and/or Research Staff Responsibilities
- Adhering to all applicable policies under the collaborating institution’s diving control board.
- Creation and maintenance of a field research safety plan.
- Submission of applicable forms relating to scientific diving, as outlined in this SOP.
- Ensuring all relevant ePA-005 submissions include notation of scuba diving compliance areas (currently question 6-K).
