REGULATORY
It Takes a Team Permit Holders, Responsible Members, Professional Members, and APEGA — we’re all partners in our service to the Alberta public
Engineering and geoscience companies in Alberta enter into partnerships with APEGA to secure a licence called a Permit to Practice. As a condition of its licence, each of these Permit Holders, as they're called, declares that all geoscience and engineering services it provides or contracts within Alberta are performed responsibly and professionally — in accordance with the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act and other applicable legislation, APEGA practice standards, guidelines, and the Rules of Conduct in our Code of Ethics . Members are part of this team dynamic when they practise. So are Responsible Members (RMs), who have special roles within their companies. Here’s how it works. Each Permit Holder is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining an effective Professional Practice Management Plan (PPMP). The PPMP defines policies, procedures, and systems that, when followed, ensure that the organization complies with legislation and implements existing, revised, and new practice standards and guidelines. Ensuring adherence to the PPMP is the task of a company’s RMs. Depending on the size of the Permit Holder, there could be one RM or there could be several. An RM is a leader within the company. Through education and experience, RMs understand the professional obligations the Permit Holder and its employees and contractors must meet to ensure the safe, ethical, and sound practice of engineering or geoscience. RMs provide oversight of all professional work completed within, or on behalf of, the company, and ensure the work meets the quality management and
quality assurance processes and procedures outlined in the PPMP. APEGA supports Permit Holders by: • helping them develop their PPMPs • training RMs and professional Members • developing practice standards, guidelines, and bulletins On behalf of the Government of Alberta, APEGA conducts practice reviews to verify that Permit Holders are safeguarding the public interest by following legis- lation and adhering to professional practice standards and the Rules of Conduct in the Code of Ethics. Your contribution as a Professional Member is to understand your PPMP and support your Responsible Member. All Professional Members have a responsibility to the professions and must do their part to make sure the products of their professional work meet the high standards developed through self- regulation. Your Responsible Members are also there to help you — they should be among your first contacts for professional practice advice and counsel. Take the time to meet with your Responsible Members and to review your company’s PPMP. Understanding the legislation and standards that apply to professional work and how your company adheres to them is a critical component in protecting the public interest and the integrity of your professions — and in being a successful APEGA professional.
QUESTIONS? permits@apega.ca
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