MY ACCOUNT
05 Jul Board takes action against unregistered interstate engineer
Unregistered engineers can face serious consequences providing professional engineering services in or for Queensland if they fail to comply with the Professional Engineers Act 2002 (PE Act).
The Board recently prosecuted a case involving an interstate engineer providing professional engineering services for a building in Queensland.
The engineer worked outside of Queensland and did not register as a RPEQ.
Since the engineer was providing professional engineering services for a project based in Queensland – the PE Act applies.
The PE Act restricts the carrying out of “professional engineering services” in or for Queensland to a registered professional engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) or a person who is under the “direct supervision” of a RPEQ who takes responsibility for the provision of the services.
The Board commenced proceedings against the engineer in the Magistrate Court of Queensland for providing professional engineering services outside of Queensland for a Queensland project.
It is important to note the Board found the engineer was qualified to provide the services and identified no safety issues with the services.
Their failure to comply with the registration requirements of the PE Act constituted the offence.
As part of the legal proceeding, the engineer pleaded guilty to a contravention of the PE Act.
The court ordered the engineer to pay both a monetary penalty and a proportion of the Board’s legal costs.
Don’t let this happen to you. Remember, if you are carrying out professional engineering services in or for Queensland, you must be:
- a RPEQ, or
- directly supervised by a RPEQ.
You can learn more about how to become a RPEQ here.