DESIGN : DEAR PLUMBERS 33
Most large consulting engineering companies are multi-discipline companies and therefore will have design teams to do all the services in-house .
It is important to understand how large and small companies work and that much of the production of the drawings are done by draughting-technicians under the supervision and responsibility of the responsible engineer or technologist .
These technicians are highly trained and highly competent and have ultra-modern electronic design and drawing equipment .
These technicians need to be recognised and registered as they have become an essential part of the modern design team .
We must recognise the electronic future and how it is going to change and shape our design capacity and competency and how we are going to work .
The competence and role and function and how we are going to work and with what , and by who , is at our door and we must take note and adapt .
Editor ’ s input Many of the standards refer to ‘ competent ’ person , and as Vollie has explained so well , competence it not one of a few , but the whole . We reproduce one of the best descriptions around this issue :
To be considered competent , individuals need to be able to : |
1 . |
Comprehend information that is presented to them . |
2 . |
Understand the importance of such information . |
3 . |
Make sound decisions among provided choices . |
4 . |
Understand the potential impact of their decisions . |
What makes a person competent ? Competence can be described as the combination of training , skills , experience and knowledge that a person has and their ability to apply them to perform a task safely . Other factors , such as attitude and physical ability , can also affect someone ' s competence . PA
Vollie
Even institutions such as the SABS and learning and regulatory bodies must adapt .
The profile of the civil and mechanical engineer and the plumber will change . The ‘ office ’ itself has changed , and the future will change , but we will still need engineers and plumbers .
“ Even institutions such as the SABS and learning and regulatory bodies must adapt .”
March 2022 Volume 28 I Number 1 www . plumbingafrica . co . za