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Decisions at the ballot box influence policies that support engineering standards and public safety.April 2014
PE REPORT
Pennsylvania PEs Take Aim at Industry Exemption
The Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers is backing legislation in the General Assembly that removes the industrial exemption for engineering licensure requirements from the commonwealth’s law regulating design professionals.
The bill (H.B. 1447) amends the licensure law to remove the exemption that allows the practice of engineering work by a manufacturing, mining, communications, common carrier, research and development, or other industrial corporation or by employees of the corporation provided that the work is in connection with the products or nonengineering related services of the corporation or its affiliates.
The amendments also remove the following exemptions for individuals practicing without an engineering licensure or licensed as a land surveyor or geologist:
- An engineer licensed in another jurisdiction may practice engineering for less than 30 days (within one calendar year) even if he or she doesn’t have a business in the commonwealth; and
- The practice of engineering by a person or employee of an association or corporation on property owned by the entity unless the practice affects the public safety or health or the property of another person or entity.
PSPE formed a task force to review the licensure law and determined that targeting the industrial exemptions was a high priority, says PSPE Executive Director John Wanner. The organization is encouraging members to urge legislators on the House Professional Licensure Committee to hold a public hearing on the bill. “We still need to go in and give [legislators] real-life examples of how these changes will increase protections,” he says. “It’s a tough fight, but we are committed to the idea that engineering work that affects the public health, safety, and welfare should be performed by licensed individuals.”
In addition, if the bill becomes law, licensees will be able to register an electronic seal so that a digital signature can be used to seal plans and documents. The bill also changes the law so only licensed engineers can use the title “professional engineer”; individuals with engineering degrees can still use the title “engineer.” A minor change to the law would also replace the term “engineer in training” with “engineer intern.”
PSPE Continues Support of Demolition Projects Bill
PSPE is continuing its support of a bill that will require a PE to prepare plans for urban demolition projects.
The bill was introduced following a building demolition accident on June 5 that resulted in the death of six people and injured 14 more. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the demolition contractors in November for willful violations that sacrificed worker and public safety. The contractors are facing combined financial penalties nearing $400,000.
If enacted, the bill will require a contractor or owner who wants a demolition permit for a commercial building or multiple single-family dwelling to submit building plans and documents, including a demolition plan and schedule, that are prepared by a licensed architect or PE.
Since the bill’s introduction, PSPE has opposed efforts to eliminate the engineering licensure requirement. Although there is a lull in legislative activity, PSPE Executive Director John Wanner believes there will be positive action on the bill.
