November 2005 ISSUE
INVESTIGATIONS MANAGER HIRED
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Tim Cartmell, P.Eng. |
Engineers and geoscientists are trained problem solvers — people willing and able to sort out their disputes in a professional manner, without endangering the public. But sometimes, often in spite of everyone’s good intentions, fallout from the field or job site lands on the desk of Tim Cartmell, P.Eng., APEGGA’s new Manager of Investigations.
“I really believe that our members, by and large, are out to do the right thing,” says Mr. Cartmell, a structural and forensic engineer with experience in projects large and small. “They don’t start a project with the intention of making a mistake or an error in judgment that could lead to an investigation.”
Mr. Cartmell knows from his own career, however, that the worksite a is complex place with a number of different interests in the mix. That on-the-job understanding, he says, will serve him well at APEGGA.
His new boss agrees. Deputy Registrar Al Schuld, P.Eng., says Mr. Cartmell’s proven track record in industry makes him perfect for the position.
“Mr. Cartmell has the perspective and credibility this job demands. We’re
happy to have him aboard.”
The 1988 structural engineering graduate of the University of Alberta joined
SNC-Lavalin Inc. early in his career, working in a number of positions from 1990
to 1995. He was lead structural engineer on a Novacor enhanced ethylene delivery
system in Fort Saskatchewan, on a Suncor Inc. substation replacement in Fort
McMurray, and on a Department of National Defence headworks facility in Cold
Lake.
Mr. Cartmell also found time for more education. He earned a master of engineering degree in engineering management from the U of A in 1995.
He worked with AD Williams and with UMA before joining IPEX Inc. in 1997 as a plant engineer. At the same time, he created his own consulting company, TICA Consulting Inc., and it became his full-time job in early 1999.
One of TICA’s consulting areas of practice was forensic engineering — which is great training for Mr. Cartmell’s new role. Forensic engineers search for an objective, third-party truth about why a fire or other accident occurred.
It’s a job with competing pressures. Sometimes an insurance company hopes for findings that lead one way, while an owner hopes for the opposite.
“I subcontracted to Sintra Engineering, and its president, Mark Hughes, P.Eng., taught me a lot. I learned how to conduct an investigation and write a thorough, complete report, covering everything we did through to findings and conclusions. Because your report can become a legal document, it must be clear and concise, but it must also tell the complete story.”
Mr. Cartmell has always had an interest in the law, so the new position is a good fit for that reason, too. His department acts much like the police and, sometimes, the prosecutor do in society. Most
problems come down to miscommunication and misunderstanding, Mr. Cartmell says, leading to someone’s expectations not being met. Often, Mr. Cartmell’s job is simply responding to a phone inquiry and helping professionals resolve issues on their own.
Other times, however, a complaint is investigated through a panel of the APEGGA Investigative Committee. If the committee believes the complaint suggests a violation of the Code of Ethics, the committee forwards the matter to the Discipline Committee.
In front of the Discipline Committee, the Investigative Committee takes on
the role of prosecutor.
As the lead staff member in that process, Mr. Cartmell has a demanding job. But
it won’t take over his life, like private practice threatened to do.
“I’ve learned that having your own consulting company is a younger man’s game,” he says, then notes with a laugh, “not that I’m that old. But I wanted more time to spend with my family and to volunteer in the community.”
His wife, Cathy, helped him run the business. Now, both will have more time
for the activities of their children — boys aged 10 and five, and a daughter
aged seven.