The Sept. 28 Federal Register contains a notice from the U.S. Coast Guard announcing that the agency has drafted revised guidelines covering medical and physical exams for merchant mariner credentials. Comments on the draft guidelines may be submitted until Nov. 27.The two-page notice is available on line – in PDF format – by clicking HERE
The notice reads in part (under the subhead “Why is the Coast Guard taking this action?”): The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended (STCW) requires each party to establish standards of medical fitness for seafarers. Title 46 United States Code, Subtitle II, Part E, and Title 46 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) subpart B require that mariners be physically able to perform their duties, using terms such as ‘‘general physical condition,’’ ‘‘good health’’ and ‘‘of sound health.’’ Title 46 CFR parts 401 and 402 contain special requirements for registration as a Great Lakes Pilot, including the requirement to ‘‘pass a physical examination given by a licensed medical doctor.’’ None of these references contain specific standards, with the exception of visual acuity and color vision, for determining if mariners are physically and medically qualified.
The lack of specificity in the above statutes and regulations has led to confusion and unnecessary delays in processing credential applications as well as inconsistent evaluations by medical practitioners conducting examinations of credential applicants. Moreover, it has caused confusion on the part of Coast Guard personnel charged with determining whether a credential should be issued. The proposed NVIC provides the specificity that the above statutes and regulations lack. It details the specific medical and physical conditions that are potentially disqualifying, and the data recommended for evaluation of each of these conditions. This is expected to reduce the inconsistency and subjectivity of the medical evaluation process and eliminate the guesswork that mariners may currently encounter as to what specific physical and medical information is needed to process their applications.
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