A word from the Chair 2

Meet Andrew Seccombe, BPEQ's new Chair

3

Federal Budget 2021-22 4

RPEQ 'sign off', 'certification' and the PE Act

5

Greater collaboration will lead to safer structures, says CROSS-AUS

8

An engineer's world 9

E-NEWSE-NEWS

Issue 78 2021

Protecting the public and setting the standard of engineering

2BPEQ E-news Issue 78 May 2021

Engineers deserve a greater profile in the community and as a profession we should also hold ourselves to high standards of practice and competence. These are the key reasons I was attracted to nominate for appointment to the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland.

My background is in the mining and resources industry where I have worked as a geotechnical engineer for the last 10 plus years. Studying at the University of Southern Queensland, I obtained a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) and followed this up with a Master of Engineering (Advanced Structural Design).

'Engineers deserve a greater profile in the community...'

My entry into the workforce came through a graduate program with Rio Tinto. I now work for a medium-sized consultancy company specialising in mine geology and geotechnical engineering for underground and surface mines, prefeasibility, mine operations and closure stages. 

I am passionate about mining and want to help raise the importance of professional engineering within the mining industry. Joining the Board as not only a new member but also the chair has meant I have had to brush up on governance, process and priorities for the organisation very quickly. One such priority is ensuring better compliance with the PE Act amongst engineers in the mining and resources space. Having worked in regional centres and in FIFO roles for the last 10 years, I understand the challenges facing engineers in the sector, including attracting and engaging qualified engineers in remote and regional areas. I feel I can bring an intimate understanding of these issues to BPEQ.

One matter the Board discussed at length during the May meeting was automatic mutual recognition (AMR). The Mutual Recognition Amendment Bill was passed by the Senate with technical amendments earlier this month. As per parliamentary process the Bill returns to the House of Representatives to agree to the amendments, nonetheless the federal government is pressing ahead with a planned 1 July 2021 start date for AMR. The Board’s view on AMR is well-known and has not changed. We’ll continue to keep RPEQs up to date on the progress of the AMR Bill and what it means for them.

Registration are now open for IPWEAQ’s International Women in Engineering Day Lunch on 23 June. BPEQ is pleased to sponsor the lunch with Professor Else Shepherd as the keynote speaker. Else was one of the first women to receive an electrical engineering degree from the University of Queensland in 1965.

To wrap up, it is a privilege to be appointed to the Board. My aim is to work in the best interests of engineers and the Queensland public by developing and progressing strategies and working with our partner associations. I look forward to meeting RPEQs, representatives from our partner associations and other stakeholders in the coming months.

'...it is a privilege to be appointed to the Board.'

If we can provide further information or assistance, please contact BPEQ at admin@bpeq.qld.gov.au or call 07 3210 3100.

ANDREW SECCOMBEChair and regional representativeThe Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland

A word from the Chair

Andrew SeccombeChair and regional representative

Meet Andrew Seccombe, BPEQ’s new ChairAndrew Seccombe joins the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland as Chair and regional representative.

A RPEQ since 2016 registered in the area of Geotechnical (Mining), Andrew has a demonstrated background in the mining and resources industry which spans over 10 years. He is well experienced in managing mine sites and teams of geotechnical engineers, geologists and coal mine workers and negotiating contracts.

From 2011 to 2014, Andrew was employed as a geotechnical engineer by Rio Tinto at its Kestrel Mine. In 2015 he joined Black Rock Mining, a medium-sized consultancy company as technical manager, a position he still holds today.

Andrew is actively involved and passionate about mining and is currently working with other groups such as the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and the Bowen Basin Underground Geotechnical Society (BBUGS) to help raise awareness of the importance of professional engineering within the mining industry. He is elected chairperson of the Bowen Basin Underground Geotechnical Society and a committee member of the AusIMM Southern Queensland Branch.

'My reasoning for seeking appointment to the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland is to help raise the profile and standards of engineers within our communities and to ensure that the community is safe and benefits from the decisions of professional engineers. I am looking forward to working with the current Board and current and future RPEQs to better protect the community and help maintain the high engineering standards we have in Queensland.'

4BPEQ E-news Issue 78 May 2021

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures and the 2021-22 Federal Budget is exactly that, with spending pushing the gross debt to more than $1 trillion in the coming years.

In contrast to many countries, Australia has managed the coronavirus outbreak and associated economic downturn relatively well and employment and growth has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in the March 2021 quarter. Yet the federal government believes more needs to be done in the economic rebuild announcing tax relief, incentives for business activity and investment, skills and training, workforce participation and manufacturing and infrastructure funding in its Budget.

So, what spending measures are relevant to engineers?

The federal government has committed a further $15.2 billion in 2021-22 for infrastructure projects, with Queensland getting $1.6 billion. State projects funded include Bruce Highway upgrades, $400 million, the Cairns Western Arterial Road duplication, $240 million, and $464 million for road safety and community infrastructure works, Inland Freight Route upgrades, $400 million, and $304 million for the third stage of the Gold Coast Light Rail and capacity improvements.

The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) has been extended for a further five years to support projects around Northern Australia.

Northern Australia will also benefit from $68 million to deliver accessible, fast and reliable digital connectivity for communities and businesses.

Water infrastructure will receive funding from the $3.5 billion National Water Grid Fund to provide reliable water sources. The Warwick Recycled Water for Agriculture project is one state-based project funded.

New low emissions technology innovations will be supported in the budget, including $275 million to support up to four additional hydrogen hubs and $263 million to accelerate the development of carbon capture use and storage.

Domestic manufacturing will be boosted with $2 billion for research and development incentives. While new patents developed in Australia in the medical and biotech sectors, and potentially the clean energy sector, will benefit from tax concessions.

The adoption of artificial intelligence will be supported with $124 million allocated.

Women in STEM will be supported with $42 million set aside for scholarships to help them pursue higher STEM qualifications through partnerships with industry. The National Careers Institute will be financed with a further $7 million to connect young people with education, training and work options. It is hoped that domestic training programs will fill the gap caused by Australia’s closed border and limited skilled migration.

FEDERAL BUDGET 2021-22

IN A SNAPSHOT

$1.6 billionQLD infrastructure projects

$400 millionBruce Highway upgrades

$240 millionCairns Western Arterial Road duplication

$124 millionArtificial Intelligence

$42 millionWomen in STEM

All this spending comes at a cost with the deficit reaching $161 billion in 2020-21, improving to $106 billion in 2021-22, before further improving to $57 billion in 2024-25. Net debt will increase to $617.5 billion or 30 per cent of GDP at 30 June 2021 before peaking at 40.9 per cent of GDP at 30 June 2025 and declining to 37 per cent of GDP at the end of the medium term. This compares to the forecast peak of 43.8 per cent of GDP from last year’s Budget.

Despite the debt and deficit, the federal government maintains the economic outlook for Australia is positive. Unemployment is expected to drop under five per cent by late2022 and economic growth is estimated to be 5.25 per cent in 2021 and 2.75 per cent in 2022.

For more information on the 2021-22 Federal Budget visit https://budget.gov.au/.

$7 millionYoung education

RPEQ 'sign off', 'certification' and the PE Act

5BPEQ E-news Issue 77 April 2021

LEGAL

RPEQ ‘sign off’ and ‘certification’ (which are sometimes interchangeable terms; for this discussion we will use the term ‘certification’) are common tasks in the engineering profession. They provide a degree of quality assurance and certainty to clients and other third parties and accordingly are often required by contract, federal and state governments and local councils.However, RPEQ certification (or sign off) is not required nor mentioned in the Professional Engineers Act 2002 (PE Act).

What the PE Act1 requires is that ‘professional engineering services’2 are only to be carried out by a RPEQ registered and competent in the relevant area of engineering. There is an exception that allows an unregistered person to carry out professional engineering services unregistered and that is if they are ‘directly supervised’ by a RPEQ registered in the relevant area of engineering. Another exception of sorts is a service carried out only in accordance with a ‘prescriptive standard’ – a document that states procedures and criteria for carrying a service that does not require the application of advanced scientific calculations.

How then does this fit with the common practise of RPEQ certification?

Understanding RPEQ certification

A certification is a positive representation of certain things. Simple examples of positive representations by a RPEQ include certifications that something is ‘structurally sound’, ‘complies with the building approval conditions’ or complies with ‘all applicable standards and codes’. Some certifications may include representations that a design or construction

1 See section 115(1) pf the PE Act.2 See definition in Schedule 2 of the PE Act.

meets contractual requirements or environmental approval conditions. A common example of a certification by RPEQs is the certification required by the Building Act, Form 15 Compliance Certificate for Building Design or Specification.

In the case of certification by a RPEQ it is reasonable for a certification to be interpreted by a third party (and certifications will usually be interpreted by BPEQ), even where the certification does not specify this, as representing that the professional engineering service has been undertaken:

• in a professional and competent way by an appropriately registered and competent RPEQ or under their direct supervision

• to a standard expected by professional peers and the public through the exercise of adequate knowledge, skill, judgement or care in the practice of engineering.

Certification can be an involved process that, often, requires the RPEQ to exercise professional skill and judgment based on appropriate evidence.

The requirements and limits of the certification should be clear between the certifying RPEQ and the person to whom the certification will be given. In certain circumstances, certification can have disciplinary implications for a RPEQ. Certification is therefore a serious commitment and one that should be approached with caution and care and carried out in a professional and competent way.

Certification is good practise as it creates a record of who is responsible for the professional engineering services and is a good quality assurance measure for those services. It is not however a substitute for the legal requirement of direct supervision.

6BPEQ E-news Issue 78 May 2021

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Providing certification after completion of a professional engineering service by a unregistered person

Where a person who is not a RPEQ has undertaken a professional engineering service and there has not been ‘direct supervision’ during the lifecycle of the service, an end of process certification will not constitute direct supervision nor retrospectively cure the absence of direct supervision.

Any person who carries out a professional engineering service when not a RPEQ nor directly supervised by a RPEQ commits an offence against section 115(1) of the PE Act. A RPEQ who knowingly permits an unregistered person to carry out the service without supervision and then certifies that service may be subject to investigation and resulting professional discipline by BPEQ for inadequate supervision and/or demonstrating a lack of adequate knowledge, skill or care.

Providing certification after completion of a professional engineering service as a third party

Often RPEQs (particularly consultants) will be approached to certify a professional engineering service that has already been carried out. Exactly what the certification is for will be dependent on what is in the contract between the parties but in order to provide a certification RPEQs must satisfy themselves, on the basis of appropriate evidence, that the service, undertaken by another, was carried out with adequate knowledge, care and skill to the standard reasonably expected of a RPEQ.

Conclusion

BPEQ provides a practice notes on project certification. Practice notes on professional engineering services and direct supervision also provide important information and are available by visiting https://www.bpeq.qld.gov.au/resources/practice-notes/.

BPEQ E-news Issue 78 May 2021 7

Infrastructure Thought Leaders Series: The Future of Transport InfrastructureOnline: 2 June 2021Hosted by Engineers Australia

Max 1.5 CPD

hours

An Inclusive Approach to Naval Ship SustainmentOnline: 2 June 2021Hosted by Engineers Australia

Max 1 CPD hour

Competing needs for kerbspace in Brisbane CBDOnline: 8 June 2021Hosted by Engineers Australia

Max 1 CPD hour

Infrastructure Thought Leaders Series: Design, Construction and Maintenance of Mining AssetsOnline: 2 June2021Hosted by Engineers Australia

Max 1.5 CPD

hour

Thought Leaders Series: Driving a Sustainable FutureOnline: 3 June 2021Hosted by Engineers Australia

Max 3 CPD hour

UPCOMING CPD courses and conferences

NQ Branch ConferenceTownsville: 16-18 June 2021Hosted by IPWEAQ

Up to 11 CPD hours

Street Design Manual for PractitionersGold Coast: 3 June 2021Hosted by IPWEAQ

Up to 8 CPD hours

IPWEAQ Annual ConferenceCairns: 12-14 October 2021Hosted by IPWEAQ

Up to 45 CPD hours

Delprat Distinguished Lecture SeriesBrisbane: 22 June 2021Hosted by AusIMM

1 CPD hour

Mill Operators Conference 2021Brisbane: 23-25 June 2021Hosted by AusIMM

Up to 24 CPD hours

Mine Waste and Tailings Conference 2021Brisbane: 1-2 July 2021Hosted by AusIMM

Up to 16 CPD hours

Core Skills for GeoscientistsBrisbane: 19-23 July 2021Hosted by AusIMM

Up to 35 CPD hours

Infrastructure & Disruptive Technology ConferenceToowoomba: 11 June 2021Hosted by QPEG

Register now

The Ethics of AI in DefenceOnline: 15 June 2021Hosted by IPWEAQ

Max 1 CPD hour

8BPEQ E-news Issue 78 May 2021

Greater collaboration will lead to safer structures, says CROSS-AUS

8BPEQ E-news Issue 77 April 2021

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Built environment professionals and others have been empowered to help make structures safer with the relaunch and refresh of a collaborative and confidential safety reporting system.

CROSS previously stood for Confidential Reporting on Structural Safety but as part of a relaunch the organisation has a new name: Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures - Australasia (CROSS-AUS). The new name reflects the integrated way in which professionals collaborate for a common purpose.

An updated website makes reporting more straight-forward. It also offers an easily searchable library of past reports and structural safety information to help individuals and organisations learn more about the safety implications of their work.

CROSS-AUS was originally launched in 2018 and is an initiative of the Institution of Structural Engineers. It builds on the success of CROSS-UK that has been operating successfully since 2005 and belongs to a growing international network that now includes CROSS-US.

As part of the CROSS mission to make structures safer, the remit of CROSS-UK has been broadened to include fire safety, although this does not apply to Australasia for the moment. This is a consequence of the Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017 and has been driven by Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety that recommended that CROSS ‘should be extended and strengthened to cover all engineering safety concerns’. To quote Dame Judith speaking ahead of the relaunch of CROSS-UK:

'This is a really important step in changing the culture around buildings and structures to one of openness and transparency. Other industry sectors like airlines have shown how valuable this type of no-blame reporting of concerns can be in identifying potential causes of failure before they happen and ensuring that they are shared with the whole sector.'

And as then president of the Institution of Structural Engineers, Faith Wainwright, stated when launching the CROSS-AUS website in 2018:

'As professional engineers we have a profound duty to ensure the safety of all those who use the structures we design and build. Sharing feedback on near misses or concerns is not always easy and CROSS is a successful community platform to allow professionals to do this simply, without attributing blame.'

Mike Fordyce CROSS-AUS director, and a former president of the Institution of Structural Engineers, believes a major benefit of and reason to use the system is to restore confidence to a sector rocked by a series of issues since 2018.

CROSS-AUS, as the only confidential safety reporting system for buildings and other structures in Australasia, allows professionals and others to share their concerns about, and experiences of, structural safety to help others make structures safer. This is done by publishing safety information based on the reports received and information in the public domain. The secure and confidential safety reporting system allows professionals to share their experiences to help others and supports continuous learning at all levels across the built environment, including individuals, organisations, and regulators. The CROSS database of over 1,000 published reports is freely available to anyone via the CROSS-AUS website.

Email updates are the best way to receive the latest safety information and news from CROSS-AUS, including the newsletter. To subscribe or for more information visit www.cross-safety.org/aus

9BPEQ E-news Issue 78 May 2021

Airborne pathogens circulating through heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems is being blamed for outbreaks of COVID-19 in Australia’s hotel quarantine system. Now experts are turning their minds to ways to improve indoor ventilation systems to not just help avoid outbreaks now but also in the future, saying a ‘paradigm shift is needed’.Building ventilation, according to a group of 39 engineers and scientists writing in the journal Science, should be better regulated to control air quality. While existing building regulations do account for thermal comfort, odour control, pollutant control, initial investment cost, energy use, and other performance issues, infection control is not.

Likewise, there are longstanding standards to reduce and manage infection transmission through water and food, say the experts, citing Edwin Chadwick’s 1842 Sanitary Report that led British government and municipalities to organise and provide clean drinking water and centralised sewage systems.

One of the contributors, Professor Cath Noakes, from the School of Civil Engineering at Leeds, said: ‘Over the years, we have neglected the role that the air circulating inside a building plays in the way germs and viruses may spread between people. The pandemic has exposed that deficiency in our understanding and the way we seek to make buildings safer to use.

‘We need to introduce new mechanisms that keep pathogen levels in the air flow in buildings and other enclosed spaces to a minimum. That approach can be achieved with technology backed-up with a requirement to meet new standards.’

Airborne transmission is a major form of coronavirus transmission according to the World Health Organisation, as opposed to droplets. It has also been found that virus particles can remain suspended for several hours in buildings and spaces that are poorly ventilated.

Different ventilation regulations will likely be required for different buildings says Australian aerosol physicist Lidia Morawska. For instance, gyms, bars and restaurants where people exhale and inhale heavily, raise their voice and shout, are higher risk buildings. Countries may also apply ventilation regulations differently. In Europe and North America, where people spend nearly 90 per cent of their time indoors, buildings will require greater ventilation to Australia.

AN ENGINEER'S WORLDHighlighting engineering news from around the world

Healthier buildings = healthier people

10BPEQ E-news Issue 78 May 2021

RENEWAL PERIODThe renewal period is 1 April 2021 to 31 May 2021. The online renewal portal will open from 1 April 2021 and close at midnight on 31 May 2021. All RPEQs will receive postal and email notices of the expiry of their registration to their nominated postal and email address prior to the renewal period.

CHANGES FROM LAST YEARAll logins for the ‘My Account’ portal will now be 5-digits, so if you have a 4-digit RPEQ number a zero is to be added as the first number.

All 2021-22 renewals will be submitted online including renewals where a RPEQ is declaring a fitness to practise matter or CPD issue (they will be required to attach their evidence to the renewal).

You can change your registration type online at the time of submitting their renewal (change from practising to non-practising; and change from non-practising to practising).

Practising certificates (cards) will no longer be sent by post. The card has been replaced with an electronic practising certificate, which will be available to download online in ‘My Account’ once you have completed your renewal and payment is made.

Registration renewals for 2021-22 begin 1 April 2021. This year the renewal process will be fully online, including for those RPEQs declaring continuing professional development and fitness to practice issues.

IT'S TIME TO RENEW

Tips for being renewal ready

FIVE STEP ONLINE RENEWAL PROCESS

STEP 1

VISITVisit www.bpeq.qld.gov.au

STEP 2

SIGN INSign in to My Account using RPEQ number and your chosen password

STEP 3

CLICKClick the Renew Now option button found under your general profile information

STEP 4

ANSWERAnswer the online renewal questions. RPEQs must declare fitness to practice issues and comply with CPD obligations

STEP 5

PAYPay the registration fee. Payment can be made by MasterCard and VISA credit card

REGISTRATION RENEWAL FEES 2021-22

$236.95PRACTISING

$118.45NON-PRACTISING

For more information visit bpeq.qld.gov.au/rpeq-renewals

11BPEQ E-news Issue 78 May 2021

RPEQ # FIRST NAME LAST NAME REGISTRATION AREA25768 Tahseen Ali Electrical

25839 William Appleton Mechanical

25726 Alexander Behns Civil

25817 Alireza Boostan Civil, Structural

18327 Russell Bowden Civil

25740 Emma Buis Structural

25772 Jonathan Chadwick Structural

25756 Jordan Coffer Building Services

25860 Wade Davey Civil

25742 Tashen Dromey Information Technology and Telecommunications

12796 Goran Dubljevic Mechanical, Naval Architecture

25809 Ahmed Mohamed Naguib Elshiekh Electrical

25854 Gregory Field Mechanical

25762 Stephen Ford Geotechnical

25848 Gil Gabatan Electrical

25836 Keith Goodall Civil, Management

25753 Kris Griffin Civil

25741 Delimar Hernandez Campos Structural

25795 Aaron Holman Aerospace

11165 Alex Hossack Geotechnical (mining)

25818 Gajan Illankovan Mechanical

25722 Md Iqbal Structural

Welcome to our newest RPEQsBPEQ extends a warm welcome to the following engineers who recently became registered:

12BPEQ E-news Issue 78 May 2021

25745 Chuanmin Jin Building Services, Mechanical

25758 Glen Koperberg Civil, Management

25794 Nicholas Le Good Civil

25751 Derek Leask Structural

25763 Michael Liang Electrical

25805 Siew Yuen Liau Chemical

25737 Paul Maisano Civil

25729 Stephen Martin Mechanical

25862 Bernard Martin Civil

25859 Olga Mikhaylova Civil, Structural

25846 Payam Mousavioun Chemical, Mechanical

25736 Fredrick Mulatya Building Services, Electrical

25804 Cameron Murray Geotechnical

25810 Andrew Nelson Management

25744 Benjamin Power Electrical

25769 Andrew Priory Civil

25798 Joshua Ryan Civil, Management

25835 Muhammad Saleem Structural

25752 Bradley Scott Mechanical

25732 Ruben Sen Management, Mechanical

25837 Tammy Sheely Chemical

25820 Marilyn Sinnett Environmental, Mechanical

19238 Kate Slattery Electrical

25757 Matthew Sprakel Mechanical

25834 Rawdon Stanford Civil

25826 Jaco Strauss Building Services, Management, Mechanical

25782 Yit Haw Toi Civil

25786 Daniel Van Tonder Civil, Management, Structural

12542 Cornelius Vink Civil

25723 Christopher Vos Environmental

25806 Matthew West Civil

25761 Robert Williamson Electrical

25787 Shimin Wu Chemical

25792 Junxi Wu Civil

25790 Ferid Yonis Civil, Management

@BPEQld

linkedin.com/company/bpeqld

This newsletter is provided for general information only. It is not legal advice and should not be taken or relied upon as such. If you have any questions or concerns about your compliance with the Professional Engineers Act 2002 (Qld) or your general legal obligations as an engineer, you should obtain appropriate legal advice. The Board accepts no legal responsibility or liability for any loss you may suffer as a result of reliance upon the information contained in this newsletter.

Protecting the public and setting the standard of engineering.

BPEQ E-news Issue 78 May 2021