Health Hazard Analysis Tool for Safe Diving Practices based on the Acoustic Ecology of the Indian Ocean Region

The effect of increasing levels of underwater noise on divers has been largely overlooked. There is a lack of available clinically validated data on thresholds of underwater noise exposure. Regulations on noise exposure do not acknowledge underwater noise either. However, numerous studies have postulated on the adverse physiological as well as occupational effects of increased noise exposure of divers. The objective of this study was to develop a health hazard analysis tool for exposure of divers to increasing levels of underwater noise. A GUI tool has been developed which enables optimized management of diving operations using real time input. The acoustic ecology of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) was studied and accurate mathematical models were used to evaluate the ambient noise in the region. Possible contributors to cumulative noise such as oil rigs, dredgers, equipment operated by divers, etc. also have been taken into account. The output of the tool includes a color-coded ambient noise map, modeled using DRoss for shipping noise & Knudsen for wind noise that facilitates identification of noise hotspots in a given region along with recommendation of whether the chosen region has hazardous levels of underwater noise. Parabolic Equation based RAM (PE-RAM) model, which is the most suitable for IOR, has been implemented for estimating transmission losses. Further, the tool generates a health hazard report. Addressing the gap in regulations that standardize diving practices in India, our study relies on clinically validated data from the Indian Medical Association. An example has been provided for the use of the tool, with sample data, as a means of assessing underwater noise hazard to divers. This is a pilot study based on the AIS data available for the Indian Ocean Region and can be extrapolated to any other region that shares the same environmental parameters.