Engineer registration, competence and accountability

The WA Government had shown little appetite for introducing mandatory engineer registration until this tragedy occurred six years ago.

For far too long, there seemed to be a wishful assumption that engineers could simply regulate themselves — regardless of whether they were genuinely qualified, competent or sufficiently experienced to certify the engineering work for which they were taking responsibility.

Anyone who has worked in WA will know that the standard of engineering practice can vary enormously. At the cowboy end of the industry, confidence sometimes appears to count for more than competence — as though the laws of physics, mechanics and mathematics might somehow yield to someone’s confidence in calling themselves an engineer.

Tragically, a young man lost his life as a consequence of appalling structural steelwork and welding carried out by people working alongside him.

Engineering is not a title you award yourself. Competence matters. Accountability matters. And the laws of physics do not negotiate.