The levels of professional job responsibility (associated with the Associations Salary Survey) are categorized as:
- Level A – Entry level or graduated university
- Level B – Engineer, MIT or EIT or Geol. IT
- Level C – Professional Engineer
- Level D – First Supervisory or Specialist role
- Level E – Middle Management or Senior Specialist
- Level F – Senior Management or Consultant Specialist
- Level F+ - Senior Executive Level
Experience requirements to obtain a license are:
• Application of Theory
• Management of Engineering – planning, budgets, supervising, risk
assess
• Communication Skills – oral, presenting, reports
• Social Implications of Engineering
• Practical Experience
Reasonable judgement of an engineer is based on these two things:
Adequate knowledge
Adequate experience
A professional attitude includes:
- Time Management – a professional is effective with time
- Accuracy – work must be double checked
- Clarity – clear and concise communication
- Courtesy – positive and constructive conduct
- Challenges – accept new challenges to develop skills & knowledge
7 Management styles
- Collegial – manager treats team as equals
- Team Orientated – manager sets goals, including team
- Interactive – manager consults team
- Responsive – manager presents tentative solution then consults team
- Paternal – manager presents decision & is open to serious objections
- Authoritarian – manager makes decision and explains
- Military – manager instructs team
process for ensuring the safety of design
- Follow design codes and standards
- Be aware of safety regulations
- Make formal hazard analysis
- If cannot eliminate hazards, post warnings
Some of the statutory standards and codes include:
- Sale of Goods Act – conditions and warranties to protect the public
- Occupational Health and Safety – protects workers
- Standards Council of Canada
The courts see these standards and codes as a minimal acceptable level
Non-Statutory standards and codes include those that are not federal or provincial such as the various ISO standards.
Also called “errors and omissions” insurance; Protects the professional from the costs of negligence
Liability Insurance
A secondary insurance plan for engineers administered by Engineers Canada provides members with:
$100,000 of liability coverage, and unlimited legal fees.
The plan is termed secondary as other primary insurance plans must exist and must be exhausted first.
The four steps to reducing hazards include:
- Eliminate known hazards
- Follow established design standards
- Follow laws and regulations
- Follow good engineering practice
Hazard Analysis is a final step of the design process and includes:
- Identify all hazards
- Eliminate wherever possible
- Shield users when hazards cannot be eliminated
- Warn, Remedy, Recall where shielding is not possible
The licensed professional has a duty to protect the environment. This duty is summarized as follows:
- Find and comply with environmental regulations
- Use specialists where not skilled
- Apply professional judgment
- Include costs of environment protection in evaluation
- Disclose information to protect the public
- Continually improved
This is an environmental guideline for corporations arising from the Exxon Valdez disaster
CERES Environment Principles which is an acronym for:
the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies.
This is an Environment Management Systems Standard set forth by the ISO organization.
ISO14001 is an Environment Management Systems Standard set forth by the ISO organization.
Who is responsible for program outputs and how they are utilized.
The licensed professional
With regards to designs, the professional must ensure they the engineer: (3 things)
possess adequate knowledge, adequate skills and will apply the appropriate care.
With regards to software packages, good practice is summarized as these 3 things:
- Scope – know the limitation and accuracy of the software
- Validation – test the software (dummy runs, ~ checks, theory checks)
- Engineering Principles – examine and understand
Documentation approval process is outlined as: (5 components)
- Scope – does the work satisfy the scope?
- Accepted Practice – codes, standards, guidelines, proper theory
- Accuracy – logical and correct, proper transfer from other documents
- Completeness – is the work complete and in order?
- Format – accepted format
In the case of a serious dilemma created by unsafe, unethical or illegal activities, the professional typically has three options:
- Internal Correction – most simple and effective action; first choice
- Whistle Blow – often effective but a last resort due to repercussions
- Resign – in protest; but does this protect the public?
Does approaching your Association with an illegal act constitute whistleblowing?
approaching your Association with the illegal act does not constitute whistleblowing since the information is not made public.
a troublemaker differs from a whistleblower in two important ways:
- Method – a troublemaker typically leaks information anonymously
- Motive – a troublemaker leaks for personal gain and not public protection
Methods to communicate effectively and professionally with peers, management or the public:
- Formal reports
- Design scopes
- Basic contracts
- Drawings
- Oral presentations
