INGENIEUR
were involved in various capacities related to
engineering practices. A total of 3,602 ECPs
were registered to provide engineering services
to clients. The current system of becoming a
consultant engineer with a minimum of four
years of experience after graduation should be
reviewed. Many new consultants lack sufficient
experience and knowledge of the regulations in
force on safety aspects of construction.
WG recommends the following:
a. All potential candidates sitting for a
professional examination must be pre-
qualified on prevailing regulations related
to safety of building such as UBBL, Act
133, OSHA, etc.
b. Remind all PEs to practice only in the field
of engineering that they are competent and
possessing the relevant experience. This
also applies for PEs seeking procurement
of engineering consultancy services.
c. All payment of professional fees to be
paid directly to the Professional Boards as
stakeholder similar to the practice by the
Board of Surveyors for cadastral surveys to
enhance professional independence of PEs
with their client.
Upgrading competency of supervisors
Site Supervisors or Inspector of Works as the
persons directly supervising construction works
full time should be more accountable apart from
just registering them. The level of expertise should
be specified according to the size and complexity
of the project.
WG recommends the following:
a) To specify that all local ‘Standard Forms of
Contract’ specify the number and level of
qualification of the supervisors needed to
act for the consultants.
b) To amend UBBL on all Form Gs except G1 to
require the relevant supervisor to sign the
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JUNE 2013
relevant Form Gs that he has supervised
the project and that he takes responsibility
for the portion of works he is connected
with.
Review Code of Ethics of Professionals
Professionals should act in the public interest and
not be in collusion with developer for individual
interests at the expense of the public. Developers
as the paymaster do sometimes exert influence
over the professionals to act unprofessionally as
has happened in some housing projects such
as over-certification for progress payments or
certifying beyond their authority.
WG recommends the following:
a) All payments to professionals to be paid
directly to the Professional Boards as
stakeholder similar to the practice by the
Board of Surveyors for cadastral survey.
b) BEM to review their procedure of
Disciplinary Action against defaulting
engineers including guidelines and
regulations in a more effective manner.
Clearer delineation of responsibility of
certain ‘structural’ drawings by
architects and engineers
The joint circular between BEM and BAM on
the rights to submit Building Plans should be
reviewed as “Appendix C” (common list jointly
issued by LJM and LAM) contain few structures
with structural elements. “Structural element”
is well defined in the Street, Drainage and
Building Act i.e. “structural elements means
those parts or elements of a building which
resist forces and moments and includes
foundations, beams, columns, shear cores,
slabs, roof trusses, staircases, load bearing
walls and all other elements designed to resist
forces and moments but excludes doors,
windows and non-load bearing walls”. There
was a case where both the architect and
engineer denied responsibility when timber