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Hydrographic Survey Management Guidelines

9 Reporting

Reports must be produced in order to:

Reports provide a complete and convenient index of the work carried out during the field survey period and are important for immediate action, when required. More importantly, they give invaluable information as reference documents for the planning and budgeting of future hydrographic surveys.

9.1 Reporting Dangers to Navigation

Uncharted dangers to navigation found during the course of a hydrographic survey must be reported immediately to the Regional Director of Hydrography. The navigation community will also have to be informed using CCG’s Notices to Shipping or Notices to Mariners.

When evaluating the importance of dangers, the size, type and draft of ships frequenting the area, as well as the location of the danger in relation to shipping lanes, must be considered.

If the HIC considers that immediate action must be taken, he / she is to contact the nearest Coast Guard Radio Station and request that a broadcast Navigational Warning be issued immediately. This must be followed by an urgent transmission the Regional Director of Hydrography advising of the action taken. The other agencies concerned (Transport Canada, Harbour Master, Pilot authorities, DND, etc.) should also be informed directly. All of these communications must be recorded, including the details of all the communications such as; date, time, persons contacted and signature of the HIC.

Further investigation may be required to fully define the hazards.

If the HIC, after evaluating the results of the examination of the hazard, considers that the feature is not sufficiently critical to originate a Navigational Warning, he / she shall inform the Regional Director of Hydrography by the most expeditious means available, so that a Notice to Mariners can be issued as quickly as possible. If applicable, the other agencies concerned (Transport Canada, Harbour Master, Pilot authorities, DND, etc.) should also be notified.

All radio and telephone communication with the Regional Director of Hydrography must be logged and confirmed immediately by a written report, which is to include all details requisite for Navigational Warning action.

Fixed aids and buoys out of position, extinguished lights, different light characteristics, etc. should be reported immediately to the local Coast Guard office followed up by a report to the Regional Director of Hydrography.

9.2 Progress reports

If the survey is to extend over a long period, it may be of interest to have the HIC produce progress reports on a monthly basis or other suitable interval. The report may contain the following information:

The progress reports are to be submitted to the Regional Director of Hydrography or the Manager of Field Surveys or Data Acquisition as soon as possible at the end of the specified interval.

9.3 Project report

Upon completion of the hydrographic field survey, a Final Field Report must be produced. The project report should give a record of the work completed by a hydrographic survey team during a particular field season. This report is circulated to all levels in the CHS as well as to people and agencies outside the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). The project report should be submitted to the Regional Director of Hydrography as soon as possible after the end of the field survey. Once approved, the final project report will be distributed to the following:

Optionally, or as regional policy or QMS procedures may dictate, these reports may also be distributed to the following:

The appropriate distribution format may be regionally specified or specified by the intended recipient. Digital versions may be distributed by E-mail, placed on a web page, placed in public folders or on a shared drive depending on regional policy or at the request of the intended recipient. The most important criteria being that those who wish a copy receive it in a form that suits them and by a delivery method that is the most effective.

The field survey team may have worked on more than one project during the course of the field season. If such is the case, all items common to the various projects worked on (list of participating staff, list of major craft and equipment used, chronology of significant events, etc.) should be identified only once in the final report whereas details specific to each project undertaken (planning, preparations, how work was done, what areas are completed and those not, etc.) should be detailed for each of the projects undertaken.

The project report should include the following information:

The project report must also include details for each location. The following information is required for each location:

If only one project was undertaken (or if a separate project report is produced for each location), the project report should be more homogeneous and incorporate all the information required to detail the work for a specific location.

9.4 Technical and other special reports

It may be necessary to write other reports in order to satisfy national or regional administration requests. These can include mission reports, cruise reports, vehicle reports, launch or craft reports, equipment reports, etc. These reports should be done according to the regional Hydrographic Survey QMS procedures or other procedures put in place in other sections of the regional office.

It may be of interest to produce special or technical reports that will describe and/or evaluate new processes, new methods, new equipment, etc. used during the field season. Such reports can also be produced regarding test results arising from field trials of new equipment, processes or methods of work.

9.5 Reporting accidents

Injuries sustained by personnel or damages to vehicles, launches or survey equipment resulting from an accident must be reported as soon as possible to the Regional Director of Hydrography by telephone, facsimile or radio message. It is necessary to fill out the applicable form: a Hazardous Occurrence and Investigation Report (HOIR), an Employer’s Report and Employee’s Report and a Motor Vehicle Report.

Guidance can be found on which form to use, how to fill it out, by when, and who to send it to from the regional authorities.

The reports include information like:

In all cases, and especially those that might result in claims for damage, the initial report shall be followed immediately by a detained written report including sketches, and photographs if appropriate, and names of witnesses, etc. No acknowledgement of responsibility or liability should be made to the other party.

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