Risk analysis and management of diving operations : assessing human factors

Abstract

Current technological advancements in diving systems have been paramount to increasing the depth and duration of commercial and military diving operations. Even with such advances and the use of proven engineered diving systems, as humans continue to strive for deeper and longer dives, significant risk to all personnel is inherent. Minimization and mitigation of such risk is vital to meet the need for continued use of manned-diving systems to perform specific underwater tasks. This paper will focus on developing mixed qualitative and quantitative risk analysis tools using current human and organizational factors (HOF) research and database software that can be applied to diving operations. Surprisingly, assessment, evaluation, and management of risks associated with diving operations are rarely performed even in today's high-tech environment. Since a major component of the diving operation is the human and organizational element, there should be adequate safety management systems in place to assess their likelihood of failure. Assessment and monitoring are vital to ensure safe procedures in diving operations and require effective operator/ diver involvement and training