Structural College

My 2c regarding the board's recent action to reprimand a residential structural engineer (based on the information in the most recent legal update) ...

Let's face it, any experienced residential structural engineer worth his/her salt could review any set of residential structural plans and find at least one or two code non-compliances and/or missing connection details. Even though we try, residential structural engineering covers so many different Australian Standards, regulations and codes that it is impossible to be across every clause all of the time. On that basis, if the board were so inclined they could reprimand any residential structural engineer every time a complaint was made to them. I am not making excuses for the engineer at fault, however I trust they were judged by another experienced RESIDENTIAL structural engineer with skin in the game.

I note that the board chose to 'reprimand' the engineer responsible, as opposed to cancelling their license or issuing a fine, and I find this appropriate seeing as the structure was a carport, and not a hospital, high-rise building or bridge.

Structural engineers are leaving the residential sector due to low pay and also constantly having to police and take responsibility for very poor-quality construction that they have had little to no control over. 

The complaint alleged:

• major construction details were missing from the RPEQ's engineering plans and designs, 

• following installation of the structure per the engineering plans, elements of the construction failed and

• the RPEQ failed to adequately respond to requests to rectify the faults in the design. 

The complaint alleged:

• major construction details were missing from the RPEQ's engineering plans and designs, 

• following installation of the structure per the engineering plans, elements of the construction failed and

• the RPEQ failed to adequately respond to requests to rectify the faults in the design. 

The Professional Engineers Act 2002 (Qld) (PE Act) provides grounds for disciplining a RPEQ "if the engineers have behaved in a way that constitutes unsatisfactory professional conduct."