Pressure vessel for human occupancy

Since 1977, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers PVHO committee has published standards governing the construction of a number of devices which are defined as Pressure Vessels for Human Occupancy. The current standard is PVHO-1-2007.

List of PVHO types

• decompression chambers
• diving bells
• high altitude chambers
• hyperbaric chambers
• hyperbaric stretchers
• medical hyperbaric oxygenation facilities
• personnel transfer capsules
• recompression chambers
• submarines

Nuclear reactor containments, aerospace cabins, caissons or mild hyperbaric chambers are not considered to be PVHOs according to the standard.