Section 3. INTERIOR APPURTENANCES
1.
INTERIOR APPURTENANCES. Interior appurtenances including installed
equipment and hardware and their surface treatment must keep the risks and
hazards in the PV to a minimum.
2.
DECK PLATES. Deck plates should be fabricated of lightweight metal,
such as diamond tread nonskid aluminum, designed to support live loads of at
least 150 pounds per square foot. Deck plates must have handholds for
lifting, inspection and cleaning and be held in place by screws.
3.
BUNKS, TABLES, SEATS, SHOWER RINGS AND OTHER INSTALLED ITEMS. Bunks,
tables, seats, shower rings and other installed items should be fabricated of
corrosion and fire resistant materials. All metallic items must be
electrically grounded to the PV shell. All movable metallic items must have
grounding straps connected to the PV shell. All components used in the PV
which require a sealed volume must be suitable for the expected pressure
differentials.
4.
FABRICS. Only highly fire resistant fabrics such as Duret Gold should
be used for clothing, bedding, mattress covers, shower curtains, towels and
any other cloth items in the PV. Mattresses must be of the open-cell type.
5. BIB MASKS. Bib masks with supply and exhaust hoses must be manufactured
of approved materials.
6.
TOILET, SINK, AND SHOWER. Toilet, sink and shower must drain into
holding tanks outside the PV. Safety interlocks must prevent flushing of
toilet or holding tanks while the toilet is in use.
7.
ORDINARY COMPONENTS. Many ordinary components such as faucet handles
and shower heads are frequently made of plastics. When such items are used
in a hyperbaric chamber they should be metallic, if at all possible. Some
items, such as hand-held telephones, are only available in nonmetallic
materials. To prohibit the use of such items, which are not highly
flammable, in a chamber is impracticable and not necessary.
8.
PAINTS. Paints used in the PV interior must be fire resistant and upon
curing must not offgas and provide a hazard to the occupants. Phenoline
paints and epoxy paints have met these requirements. Surfaces to be painted
must be sandblasted to white metal and receive a primer suitable for the
intended finish coat. All interior finishes must be allowed to offgas until
thoroughly cured. Only white or light tints should be used to enhance the
internal lighting. Paints should not be applied to aluminum PV surfaces as
it may mask corrosion. Surfaces facing O-rings may be painted using
phenoline or epoxy paint or Devcon Z applied by brush to small areas. Large
areas should be spray painted.
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