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American Academy of Underwater Sciences

Associations Organisation Scuba Diving (English)

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Company description Organized in 1977, the AAUS was incorporated in the State of California in 1983. The Board of Directors, responsible for governing the corporation, consists of an elected President, President-Elect, Secretary, an appointed Treasurer, three elected Directors and four appointed Directors. The AAUS has five standing Committees (Standards, Statistics, Scholarship, Membership and Finance).
An Advisory Board of past board members provides continuity and a core of expertise to the AAUS. Membership in the Academy is granted to individuals in the member, associate member and student member categories, and to organizations currently engaged in scientific diving activities.
Scientific diving programs allow research diving teams to operate under the exemption from OSHA commercial diving regulations. AAUS Member Organizations help protect themselves from possible fines and civil suits by their confirmed commitment to meeting AAUS requirements and adherence to a set of standards recognized as the ``standard of practice`` within the scientific diving community.
1975 - The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, supported by the AFL-CIO, petitioned the Federal Government urging an emergency temporary standard (ETS) be issued with respect to all professional diving operations. Several diving contractors challenged the EST in U. S. Court of Appeals and the ETS was withdrawn in November of 1976 and permanent standard was formulated. The permanent standard for Commercial Diving became effective October 20, 1977.
The Academy submitted arguments to OSHA for an ANPR on October 15, 1979 sighting self regulation and consensual standards for over 20 years, and an accident incidence rate lower than the Commercial Diving Industry. After extensive negotiation and Congressional Hearings, a final ruling was issued, effective November 28, 1982, granting a scientific exemption.
One of the primary contribution`s of the AAUS is the promulgation of The AAUS Standards for Scientific Diving Certification and Operation of Scientific Diving Programs. A consensual guideline for scientific diving programs, this document is currently the ``Standard`` of the scientific diving community. Followed by all AAUS Organizational members, these standards allow for reciprocity between institutions, and are widely used throughout the United States and in many foreign countries. Peer reviewed within the AAUS on a regular basis, they represent the consensus of the scientific diving community and state-of-the-art technologies.
AAUS provides a forum for diving scientists to share information on diving research, methodologies and funding with other professional researchers.
Members are kept abreast of the latest standards of practice for training, equipment, diving procedures and managerial and regulatory experience.
AAUS provides students and researchers exposure to individuals, agencies, and organizations with on-going programs in undersea research.
Organizational and Individual Members enjoy periodic discounts from AAUS Corporate Sponsors.
Members receive a member discount on admission fees to the AAUS Annual Symposium, AAUS Workshops, and Publications. Membership includes The Slate, the quarterly news letter published by the Academy. Membership also includes access to the AAUS database of diving statistics and informational list servers allowing you to post questions to an international network of scientific diving professionals.
AAUS provides annual Scholarships for students employing diving as a research tool. Most importantly, your membership to the American Academy of Underwater Sciences lets you know that you are helping to ensure scientific diving will continue in a safe and effective manner in the future. And as an Organizational member, you can feel comfortable in the knowledge that your program is participating in underwater research in a manner consistent with the standard of practice for the entire community.
Location description: Scientific diving is defined by OSHA regulations as diving performed solely as a necessary part of a scientific, research, or educational activity by employees whose sole purpose for diving is to perform scientific research tasks. Scientific diving does not include tasks associated with commercial diving such as: rigging heavy objects underwater; inspection of pipelines; construction; demolition; cutting or welding; or the use of explosives. According to the Code of Federal Regulations, OSHA (the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has determined that an organization may be exempt from the regulations that govern commercial diving activities provided it meets the following criteria:
Defined as scientific diving and which is under the direction and control of a diving program containing at least the following elements:
1. A diving safety manual which includes at a minimum: Procedures covering all diving operations specific to the program; including procedures for emergency care, recompression and evacuation; and the criteria for diver training and certification.
2. Diving control (safety) board, with the majority of its members being active scientific divers, which shall at a minimum have the authority to: approve and monitor diving projects, review and revise the diving safety manual, assure compliance with the manual, certify the depths to which a diver has been trained, take disciplinary action for unsafe practices, and assure adherence to the buddy system (a diver is accompanied by and is in continuous contact with another diver in the water) for scuba diving.
Further guidelines for scientific diving appear in Appendix B to Subpart T:
1. The Diving Control Board consists of a majority of active scientific divers and has autonomous and absolute authority over the scientific diving program`s operation.2. The purpose of the project using scientific diving is the advancement of science; therefore, information and data resulting from the project are non-proprietary.
3. The tasks of a scientific diver are those of an observer and data gatherer. Construction and trouble-shooting tasks traditionally associated with commercial diving are not included within scientific diving.
4. Scientific divers, based on the nature of their activities, must use scientific expertise in studying the underwater environment and therefore, are scientists or scientists-in-training.
AAUS Member Organizations help protect themselves from possible fines and civil suits by their confirmed commitment to meeting AAUS requirements and adherence to a set of standards recognized as the ``standard of practice`` within the scientific diving community. Following a consensual set of standards enables AAUS member organizations to enjoy reciprocity when collaborating on research projects with other AAUS member organizations. This reciprocity is the product of years of experience, trust and cooperation between underwater scientists.

Website: Preview http://www.aaus.org by Thumbshots.org http://www.aaus.org
A non-Profit group composed of diving scientists who are dedicated to the establishment and maintenance of standards for scientific diving.

Contact information:

Phone: (251) 861-7504
Fax: (251) 861-7540
Street Address:
101 Bienville Blvd.
Dauphin Island
Alabama
United States
36528
Spoken language(s): English
Open: from 09-00 till 17-00
Local time:  GMT - 6 Mexico, Monterrey, Guadalajara
Note: No guarantee is made to the accuracy of these details.

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