INNOVATION July-August 2016

p ract i ce

Engineering and Geoscience Offshoring Know Your Obligations When Sealing Work Done by Others Engineering and geoscience work knows no boundaries. APEGBC professionals work on projects around the world, and engineers and geoscientists from elsewhere contribute to BC projects. In many cases, with today’s communications technologies, practitioners can work on a project even when they are not physically present near it. Combine this with companies trying to reduce costs and improve turnaround times on deliverables, and globalisation of engineering and geoscience services— often called offshoring—results. However, unless done properly, offshoring may jeopardise public safety and contravene BC’s Engineers and Geoscience Act . Members have responsibilities they must meet when collaborating on work with practitioners not licensed to practise in BC. Offshoring refers to work obtained from sources outside the organisational unit requiring the services, including those located elsewhere in Canada or beyond. The work may be conducted by a non-BC office of the same organisation or through a third-party firm. It works the other way, too—APEGBC professionals often provide offshored services for projects outside BC. When involved in engineering and geoscience projects that include offshoring, members must ensure they meet their legal and ethical responsibilities. Generally, under the Engineers and Geoscientists Act , engineering and geoscience work for BC projects should be performed by registered APEGBC professionals. However, in some cases, APEGBC professionals may instead take responsibility for work done by those not registered here. In these cases, an APEGBC professional must directly supervise the individual and take responsibility for the work the individual contributes here. Direct supervision entails being actively involved, including: • considering appropriate experience levels when delegating professional tasks, • providing adequate supervision of field reviews, and • taking responsibility for the professional engineering or professional geoscience decisions. APEGBC Professionals Sealing Documents after Minimal Prior Involvement APEGBC professionals must meet several obligations before they apply their seal to a document they have had minimal involvement creating. The professional must: 1. confirm and document that the project includes a formal quality management system, 2. be aware of the formal training and experience of the individual who performed the work being signed off, 3. confirm that the individual developing the document is working within a practice area in which he or she has appropriate training and experience.

These steps are not required if the APEGBC professional has a long-standing professional relationship with the individual, or if they are both on the active staff of the same organisation and are involved in the delivery of similar products or services requiring the application of engineering or geoscience on a repeated basis. Once the requirements are met, the APEGBC professional must carry out an appropriate review of the engineering or geoscience work before affixing the seal. The professional must be familiar with the engineering or geoscience document and have the training and experience to perform the work he or she is taking responsibility for—the professional sealing the document must be able to directly deal with and respond to questions related to the document or its implementation. By sealing the document, the APEGBC professional is taking full professional responsibility for the work. Equipment Manufactured and Designed Outside of Canada for Use in a BC Project When APEGBC professionals specify equipment, products or components that require design and manufacture out of province for use on BC projects, they should begin by preparing and sealing performance specifications for each item. The specifications should also require the manufacturer or fabricator to certify that the equipment meets the performance specifications. APEGBC does not require APEGBC professionals to seal equipment fabrication or vendor drawings. However, when APEGBC professionals receive the equipment, products or components from out of province, they may have obligations requiring application of their seal. For example, if Occupational Health and Safety legislation requires guards or safety switches, APEGBC professionals are responsible for checking and sealing that the equipment meets the requirements. APEGBC professionals must also confirm the equipment meets BC Safety Authority requirements. Where the equipment requires services such as structural supports, electricity, gas or water feeds, APEGBC professionals are responsible for designing and sealing documents showing those services. Many BC projects use practitioners who are based outside of BC and, therefore, rely on BC-registered professionals to take responsibility for the work performed. It is imperative that APEGBC members understand their responsibilities and take appropriate steps to protect public safety. For more information about the use of the APEGBC seal, direct supervision, and other quality management guidelines, visit apeg.bc.ca/Quality-Management-Guidelines or contact an APEGBC practice advisor at 604.430.8035 . v

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