The Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland (BPEQ) has released a statement recommending home owners always use the online register of professional engineers to check their credentials.
Engineering services are required by home owners when undertaking a structural damage assessment and preparing a scope of works report as part of an insurance claim, the preparation of geotechnical report for a new housing development and the design of a new home.
BPEQ registrar Kylie Mercer says that by using BPEQ’s online register, the public can quickly and easily find out if they are receiving a service from a qualified and competent engineer.
“The law in Queensland requires that engineers carrying out services in Queensland or for Queensland must be registered with BPEQ, or work under the direct supervision of someone who is registered,” says Kylie.
“Recent media reports about non-engineers performing structural damage assessments highlight the importance of Queensland’s engineer registration scheme and the need for consumers to search the register to check the engineer is legally and professionally able to do the work.”
The online register has approximately 13,000 engineers who have been assessed as qualified and competent professionals.
“Consumers can search for an engineer by name, registration number, location, company and by the area of engineering they practise in, such as civil or structural,” says Kylie.
“By only ever engaging a professional engineer registered with BPEQ consumers can be confident of receiving a high standard of service, and if for some reason they do not, then BPEQ may investigate and take disciplinary action.”
For home owners in other states and territories in Australia, the National Engineering Register (NER) from Engineers Australia provides a list of registered engineers. To be listed on the NER, engineers must prove they have a recognised engineering qualification benchmarked to international standards, a commitment to continuing professional development, Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII), a commitment to Engineers Australia’s Code of Ethics and an access point for potential clients to see verification of qualifications.
