september 2008 Issue
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE & ETHICS CORNER
APEGGA members with professional practice or ethics questions are welcome to mail them to Ray Chopiuk, P.Eng., Director, Professional Practice, APEGGA, 1500 Scotia One, 10060 Jasper AVE NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 4A2; fax them to 780-426-1877; or e-mail them to rchopiuk@apegga.org.
Q In a recent issue of The PEGG, I saw a Discipline Committee order against a member who had issued a certificate of compliance in November 1992 for a preserved wood foundation. Water subsequently leaked through the foundation. The member was sanctioned for unprofessional conduct because he or she did not adequately verify that the construction was done in accordance with approved plans and specifications.
Wasn’t the Limitations Act introduced in 1999 supposed to limit a member’s exposure to liability to a maximum of 10 years? The certificate was issued in 1992 and the owner didn’t complain to APEGGA until 2006. How was APEGGA able to proceed with its discipline case against the member when the complaint was made 14 years after the member issued the certificate?
A The Limitations Act applies to claims in which someone is seeking a remedial order in a proceeding before an Alberta court. The act defines a remedial order as “a judgment or an order made by a court in a civil proceeding requiring a defendant to comply with a duty or to pay damages … ” APEGGA’s disciplinary proceedings do not result in such judgments or orders. They result in findings of unskilled practice or unprofessional conduct when there is evidence of such conduct.
Q I am looking for clarification regarding the first paragraph in a PEGG article entitled Structural Engineers Required to Check Qualifications of Welded Steel Fabricators and Erectors. It concerns engineers involved with steel structures and metal building systems. The article is clear about the Alberta Building Code and the CSA-S16.1 requirements for fabrication of buildings to be done by those certified by the Canadian Welding Bureau to CSA Standard W47.1. What is not clear to me is the reference to steel structures. Specifically, I am referring to steel structures that are not buildings and are not fixed to the ground. Does this article concern only buildings built from structural and/or cold formed steel, or does it also cover steel structures that are not buildings and have not been designed using CSA-S16.1?
A The article appeared in the February 2000 edition of The PEGG and appears on APEGGA’s website at www.apegga.org/pdf/Regulatory/CWBCertification.pdf. It was written by APEGGA’s Practice Standards Committee to highlight the requirement contained in the Alberta Building Code, 1997. The steel structures to which the article refers are those which are covered by the code. The requirement for the engineer of record to address the qualification of welded steel fabricators and erectors continues to be maintained, as noted in Schedule B-2 of the latest edition of the Alberta Building Code, 2006.
Q I have several years of experience in roadway lighting design since obtaining a degree in civil engineering. When I submitted a set of stamped design drawings for a street lighting project recently, I was asked to have my drawings stamped by an electrical engineer. Is it necessary for me to do that in order to have the drawings accepted?
A As a professional engineer, you are entitled to undertake work for which you have adequate knowledge and experience (i.e., competence). Just because your degree is in civil engineering does not restrict you from stamping electrical work if you have gained that particular competence since receiving your degree. You would not need to have a member with a degree in electrical engineering stamp your drawings.
APEGGA registers individuals as professional engineers without designating specific disciplines in engineering. Under the Code of Ethics, members are expected to limit their work to those areas in which they are competent. A member who engages in an area of practice in which he or she is not competent could be disciplined for unskilled practice.