Obligations for licence holders

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Licencing Procedure LP1 (Licence Holders)

 

Obligations placed on licence holders

Possession of a licence places obligations on the holder, the most important of which are:

·           To work to the competence standards exemplified by the licence category (or categories) held.

·           To know the limits of their competence – when to declare that they do not possess the skills, knowledge or experience to perform a particular task;

·           To ensure that they maintain their logbook, including records of the work they perform and any formal complaints made against them;

·           To ensure that there is at least an annual review of their logbook by their line manager or professional head who can confirm the work carried out.

    Further details are provided in Licencing Procedure LP1 (Licence Holders), Section 6.

 

As part of compliance with Scheme Rules Licence Holders:

 

·         must agree to be bound by the Licensing Scheme standards and procedures and be familiar with any major changes to the Scheme

·         are required to ensure that their training and competence remains current and relevant for the licence categories they apply for or hold

·         must keep their logbook up to date with record of work activities

·         must submit their logbooks to their employer’s authorised representative (or other person in a position to verify it) for review and certification at least annually

·         are required to record in their logbook any formal complaints made against them within the scope of their licensable work, and submit a copy of any such complaints, and the results of any inquiries to the Licensing Registrar’s office

·         Must make their logbooks available when requested by the IRSE. The IRSE pre-selects on a purely random basis a number of logbooks each year

 

In addition to these obligations, the following is mainly applicable to licence holders performing safety-critical work such as installation or maintenance testing on the operational railway:

“Before sanctioning or commencing any task which might directly affect the safety of the railway, its employees, or the public, licence holders must be satisfied that the necessary resources are available for its safe completion. Licence holders must be constantly aware of the additional vigilance and special precautions which may be necessary on their part if any of the persons engaged on a safety related task are not licensed in the appropriate category. Any licence holder who becomes aware of an unsafe situation arising or who is instructed to perform a task which is unsafe should immediately inform a superior, or in the case of a consultant or contractor the client, and take any appropriate action available to avoid the unsafe situation materialising. Should the warning be ignored, or if the licence holder is subject to pressure to continue with the unsafe action, the facts should be put in writing and sent to the employer or client informing them that a copy is also being sent to the Institution's Registrar. On receipt of such a communication the Registrar must draw it to the attention of the Licensing Committee.”