THE CURRENT STATUS OF LAWS AND REGULATIONS REGARDING HYPERBARICS

摘要

Working under compressed air for tunnel excavation has traditionally been applications where the entire tunnel was pressurized and the workers remained under pressure for the entire shift. These tunnel excavations were usually at pressures below 20 psi but there were some applications at greater pressures, with 50 psi being the maximum pressure allowed. The majority of the current regulations for Compressed Air Workers in the tunneling industry were generated for this type of compressed air excavation of the tunnel and do not reflect recent advances in technology and equipment. With advances in compressed air technology and improvements in tunnel equipment and methods, tunnels are now capable of being driven in geologic conditions that were not possible before these advances. The regulations that govern working conditions in those circumstances have not kept up with the advances and this paper will detail the current status of efforts to revise those regulations.