Guiding Principles -
Pilotage Authority Quality Assurance Programs
For Assessing Pilot Proficiency And Quality Of Service
The purpose of this document is to establish common principles that will assist
pilotage authorities as they develop and implement quality assurance programs for
assessing pilot proficiency. The programs are intended to enable authorities to fully
meet Recommendation No. 9 of the CTA’s Ministerial Review of Outstanding Pilotage
Issues as well as international training and certification standards for maritime pilots
such as the International Maritime Organization’s Resolution A960. The programs will
complement existing systems, practices and procedures and will be designed to ensure
pilotage in Canada remains second to none in terms of safety and efficiency.
These principles will be included in each region’s written procedures for the
assessment of pilot proficiency and performance. They are designed to encourage a
common, constructive and fair-minded approach, although specific practices may vary
from region to region.
Guiding Principles
- Collaborative: The ultimate responsibility for the quality assurance program
rests with the Authorities. The program, however, will be developed and
implemented in partnership with pilots groups.
- Focus on Quality: the purpose of the program is to foster the best possible
quality performance by pilots, rather than to be used as a punitive or disciplinary
tool.
- Applicability: while, in some cases, the introduction of pilot assessments may be
gradual, it is the intention that, within a reasonable period of time, assessments
will apply to all pilots.
- Frequency: assessments will take place regularly and not less than once every
three years.
- Transparency: results of the assessment should be communicated in a timely
manner to the pilot in question, and the pilot given an opportunity to comment
before the results are considered final. In those cases where the comments of
the pilot are not reflected in the final results, the views of the pilot will form an
integral part of the record.
- Confidentiality: all assessment results, together with all accompanying
documentation, will be maintained as part of the pilot’s confidential personnel
record and access to the material will be governed by the same rules that apply
to the confidential personnel record as a whole.
- Modality: pilots’ proficiency can be assessed through various means. No single
means, however, should be the sole basis upon which an assessment is made.
- Remedy: in those cases where it is determined that a pilot’s proficiency and/or
performance needs to be improved, specific and practical steps should be
identified to ensure the situation is effectively remedied.
- Precedence of the Pilotage Act: Nothing in the pilotage authority quality
assurance program for assessing pilot proficiency will take precedence over the
legislation and regulations which govern the issuance and suspension of pilot
licenses.
|
