GEOSCIENCE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES - EXPERIENCES FROM CANADA IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF A COLLECTIVE GUIDELINES FRAMEWORK FOR THE GEOSCIENCE PROFESSION

In the context of hazards studies, this contribution recounts elements of previous work undertaken to understand and address the challenges of developing practice guidelines and achieving consensus on a new guidelines framework. It also introduces the framework itself, reflects on its subsequent use and reviews continuing Canadian experiences in the arena of professional practice guidance.

Geoscience is a regulated profession in all but one province and one territory in Canada through license-to-practice legislation which places each individual P.Geo. under a Code of Ethics and consequently makes them directly accountable to the public for the geoscientific work they perform. While some of Canada’s provincial regulatory bodies have developed, and continue to develop, geoscience professional practice guidelines, including guidelines for hazard studies, it was recognized that a national framework on guidelines could foster consistency and thus greater overall protection of the public.

Work, facilitated by Geoscientists Canada, lead to the development and release in December 2010, of a “Framework for the Development of Geoscience Professional Practice Guidelines”. All ten regulatory bodies in Canada engaged in finalizing the framework, while seven of the ten were directly involved in its development. The framework reviews the purpose of practice guidelines and the challenges associated with both developing and maintaining such documents. It then sets out collectively-agreed to principles concerning: 1) indentifying the need for guidelines for different types of practice; 2) the process and methodology that should be followed in preparing guidelines and 3) the structure and components of a typical practice guideline.