INNOVATION November-December 2021

These webinars, and other professional practice-related webinars, are provided at egbc.ca/Events .

J oint P rofessional P ractice G uidelines - E ncapsulated M ass T imber C onstruction up to 12 S toreys : February 1, 2022 P rofessional P ractice G uidelines : S eismic A ssessment and S eismic D esign of D ikes in BC: January 26, 2022 UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE WEBINARS egbc.ca/Events FREQUENT PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE INQUIRIES How should a firm’s Permit to Practice number be applied to engineering or geoscience documents? One important change that emerged from recent changes in the regulatory landscape is the introduction and use of Permit to Practice numbers for firms. Under the Regulation of Firms program, all firms that engage in the practice of professional engineering or geoscience are now required to have a Permit to Practice issued by Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Firms that apply and are accepted under the program will be issued a Permit to Practice and will receive a seven-digit Permit to Practice number that provides proof of registration. This number must be applied to all engineering or geoscience documentation that is authenticated (i.e., signed, sealed, and dated) on behalf of the firm. A document that does not have this number applied is essentially unauthenticated. The Permit to Practice number must be visible and legible, but beyond that, Engineers and Geoscientists BC does not have specific requirements for where it should be applied to a document. Permit to Practice numbers may be applied by stamp, by hand, digitally, or they may be provided on standard documentation templates (i.e., on title blocks of design drawings) for the firm. Engineers and Geoscientists BC does not supply stamps or seals for this purpose, but firms may develop or purchase their own. The permit number may only be applied by a Responsible Registrant of the firm or by a professional registrant who has been authorized by a Responsible Registrant of the firm. For example, one firm may require that the Responsible Registrant review all documents prior to applying the permit number. Another firm, however, may grant authority to other individuals within the firm to apply the number on behalf of the firm. Each firm must determine and document the processes and procedures for permit number application that best supports their work and the registrants under their employment and must ensure appropriate training is provided.

ARCHIVED WEBINARS egbc.ca/Online-Learning/Products

C ontinuing E ducation P lanning and R eporting : Recorded October 7, 2021 D ocumented C hecks of E ngineering and G eoscience W ork : Recorded September 9, 2021 A uthentication of D ocuments ( formerly “U se of S eal ”): Recorded September 22, 2021

It is understood that firms are still developing their Professional Practice Management Plan, and that these documented processes are being established. The Permit to Practice number is required as part of authentication of engineering or geoscience documentation during this transition period. The minimum requirement is that the Permit to Practice number be applied once per document. For Letters of Assurance, authentication is required on every page, but the permit to practice number is only required to be applied once to each Letter of Assurance. For additional guidance on permit numbers and Letters of Assurance, please review the Practice Advisory on Permit to Practice Requirements for Letters of Assurance. Registrants should note that in a drawing set, each drawing must show the permit to practice number. If any document is submitted to an authority having jurisdiction without a permit to practice number, Engineers and Geoscientists BC recommends that a new document be requested that includes the Permit to Practice number. For additional guidance on application of permit numbers, please refer to the Regulation of Firms Permit to Practice Manual (Section 6.10.2), and the Regulation of Firms Bulletin on Permit to Practice Usage. These and other documents related to the Regulation of Firms are

provided at egbc.ca/Firms . For additional guidance on authentication of documents, please refer to the Guide to the Standard for the Authentication of Documents. Kelly Dayman, P.L.Eng. Associate Director, Regulation of Firms, Engineers and Geoscientists BC

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