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Report questions qualifications of city engineers
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WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Major engineering projects in the District were overseen by employees who did not have professional engineering licenses, a practice that could endanger public safety, according to a D.C. government report.
The agencies were alerted after the D.C. inspector general office discovered a loophole that exempted government engineers from licensing requirements, including those who are responsible for determining such things as structural safety, according to an inspector general’s report.
That loophole, “may jeopardize public health and safety,” wrote IG Charles Willoughby, in a letter to the mayor dated April 14.
Government engineers perform various duties, from evaluating ground water contamination clean-up proposals to ensuring that roads, buildings, bridges and sewage systems are structurally sound. They also make sure that plumbing, heating, electrical systems are safe from fire and comply with city codes.
Of 124 government engineers surveyed, 16 had professional licenses and more than half were allowed signatory authority, according to D.C. Department of Human Resources task force.
The survey also found that majority of the agencies indicated that they do not have a sufficient number of licensed engineers given the workload. The task force recommended better pay for licensed engineers. It also urged agencies to make sure that unlicensed engineers not be allowed to sign public documents such as engineering drawings and plans.
A spokesman for D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, which has the highest number of engineering vacancies, said the agency requires supervisors and plan reviewers to have at least a decade of experience.
“We’d love to have more licensed engineers, but across the region there really is a shortage,” Michael Rupert said.
D.C. transportation spokeswoman Karyn Le Blanc said every set of plans is stamped by a certified engineer.
“We are confident in the transportation system,” Le Blanc said.
Licenses protect the health, safety and welfare of the public, said Philip Brach, past president of the D.C. Society of Professional Engineers. He said he was surprised to discover how few city engineers were licensed.
“That’s why barbers have licenses,” Brach said. “If you practice a profession and you don’t know exactly know how to do it, you could cause harm.”
smccabe@dcexaminer.com
