Mark Vender
The Western Australian government has released a consultation paper proposing changes to the Building Services (Registration) Act 2011 to allow for the registration of building engineers.
Released by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, the consultation regulation impact statement (CRIS) comes at a time when registration schemes are appearing around the country – and the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) is working on a National Registration Framework.
The proposals in the Western Australian CRIS are in accordance with the national registration model being developed by the ABCB. It will require the following categories of engineers to be registered to carry out building engineering work:
- Mechanical engineers
- Fire safety engineers
- Civil engineers
- Structural engineers
- Hydraulic engineers
- Geotechnical engineers.
This CRIS also proposes to introduce a code of conduct for registered engineers and a requirement for registered building service providers to work only within their area of competence. These proposals, in part, address recommendations 1 to 3 in the Building Confidence Report.
Registering engineers will also support the implementation of recommendations 13 to 19, which address improvements in building compliance.
“The primary benefits of registering engineers are improved public safety and consumer protection,” says the CRIS. “Engineers Australia notes that registration ‘is not a silver bullet to all ills of industry’, rather ‘it creates a system to recognise people likely to perform competently, and a mechanism to exclude those found to be unsuitable to work as an engineer’.”
The closing date for submissions is Thursday, December 3, 2020.
To read the CRIS and provide comments, click here.
Featured image courtesy of Harry Cunningham on Unsplash.
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