Bulletin No.: 02/2007

RDIMS No.: 2458101
Date (Y-M-D): 2007-07-17

 

Subject: Marine Medical Care and Marine First Aid (amendment 2007-11-01)

This Bulletin replaces Ship Safety Bulletin 14/99, dated November 8, 1999 and it has been replaced by Bulletin No. 03/2009 dated July 30, 2009.

Purpose

This bulletin provides information with respect to the Marine Personnel Regulations ( MPR ); in relation to designate a person as well as their competencies to take charge of medical care or provide first aid on board a vessel.

Scope

This bulletin applies to persons designated to take charge of medical care or provide first aid on board Canadian vessels.

Background

The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers ( STCW ) 1978, as amended in 1995, section A-VI/4 outlines the minimum requirements before a seafarer can be designated to take charge of medical care or to provide first aid on board vessels. To meet the requirements of the Convention, Transport Canada, Marine Safety ( TCMS ) has introduced this mandatory requirement, in section 205(8), (9) and section 207(3)(f), (g) of the MPR .

General

Through this bulletin, TCMS would like to draw the maritime community's attention of the regulatory requirement with the coming into force of the MPR .

Medical Care Requirements

The authorized representative of a vessel, other than a fishing vessel, which is engaged on a voyage of a duration of more than three days that is an unlimited voyage or a near coastal voyage, Class 1, shall ensure that a person is designated to take charge of medical care on board the vessel.
The master and the authorized representative shall ensure that a person designated to take charge of medical care on board a vessel shall:

1. be a physician, if the vessel is carrying 100 or more crew members; or
2. have successfully completed the approved training course in marine medical care if the vessel is carrying less than 100 crew members.

First Aid Requirements

The Master and the authorized representative of a vessel shall ensure that a person designated to provide first aid on board the vessel holds:

1. if the vessel is engaged on a near coastal voyage, Class 2 or a sheltered waters voyage, a training certificate in marine basic or advanced first aid or, in the case of a Mobile Offshore Unit ( MOU ), a certificate with respect to a course that the Minister accepts as being equivalent in content to the marine advanced first aid course; and
2. if the vessel is engaged on an unlimited voyage or a near coastal voyage, Class 1, a training certificate in marine advanced first aid or, in the case of an MOU , a certificate with respect to a course that the Minister accepts as being equivalent in content to the marine advanced first aid course.

Validity of Training Certificates

The certificate in Marine medical care has no time limit stipulated for its acceptance as documentary evidence of the proficiency of the person designated to provide medical care on board vessels.

The training certificates in marine basic and advanced first aid are to be kept valid for their acceptance as documentary evidence of the proficiency for the person designated to provide first aid on board vessels. These training certificates are valid for a three-year period from the date of issue.

Approved Training Providers

Approved Training courses are listed in publication TP  10655.
Publication TP 13008 - Training Standards for Marine First Aid and Marine Medical Care, outlines the specifications for these courses.

Transitional period related to the application of a Marine Medical training requirements

In order to ensure a smooth transition in the application of section 205 of the Marine Personnel Regulations, TCMS has approved a policy for a transitional period in the enforcement of the requirement of having a person holding a marine medical care training certificate on board certain vessels, until December 31, 2008.

This means that when the person designated to take charge of medical care on board a vessel has successfully completed approved training in Marine Advanced First Aid, it will be acknowledged as meeting the requirement of section 205 (8) (b) of the MPR provided that:

– the approved training in Marine Advanced First Aid has been completed in the past three years; and

– the person designated to take charge of medical care on board has made necessary arrangements to be registered for the mandatory Marine Medical Care training at an approved institution

The following document is available for downloading or viewing:

Marine Medical Care and Marine First Aid (32 KB) 

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Keywords:

1. Marine Personnel Regulations
2. Medical Care
3. First Aid

Questions concerning this bulletin should be addressed to: