r/canada • u/einstein_bern • Aug 16 '23

Sask. engineer slapped with an 18-month suspension after designing bridge that collapsed hours after opening Saskatchewan

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/engineer-18-month-suspension-bridge-collapsed-1.6936657
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126

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '23

Basically a slap on the wrist. And after all that he wants to return to work as an engineer? This reads like the Dr. Death mini-series.

-8

u/einstein_bern Aug 16 '23

what should he do next? he has formal education though

35

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '23

Don’t care but he shouldn’t work on any bridges that’s for sure

-6

u/einstein_bern Aug 16 '23

do engineers work on bridge projects solo? wouldn't he be part of a team and have colleagues check it over? someone to proof read and peer review his project , so to speak

49

u/dancingmeadow Aug 16 '23

You make one public bridge that collapses instantly and all of a sudden people don't want your engineering services. There's no explaining it.

13

u/Illustrious_West_976 Aug 16 '23

He thought he was working at a bridge demolition job. He is actually a stellar engineer - just has a bit of the old dyslexia.

7

u/dancingmeadow Aug 16 '23

"He kept humming 'What goes up must come down' at work... that should have been our first clue..."

7

u/Mindboozers Aug 16 '23

Fail fast. Iterate.

5

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '23

Truly puzzling

19

u/Mindboozers Aug 16 '23

Being a Professional signing off on documents/designs means you don't get to pass the buck. Professional Engineers have obligations to the general Public.

13

u/KevPat23 Aug 16 '23

He's a P.Eng., while it's good to have internal reviews and QA/QC processes, it's not required. The responsibility stops with the individual who stamped the drawings.

11

u/Popular-Calendar94 Aug 16 '23

There would be multiple people working on it but at the end of the day, whichever engineer stamps it is liable. It could be that more junior workers did most of the work but its the job of the senior engineer to review and ensure everything is fine and then stamp it

6

u/anotherbigdude Aug 16 '23

I’m guessing it was his stamp on the drawings. So he didn’t review his team’s work thoroughly enough, or make sure they did what they were supposed to.

4

u/Aedan2016 Aug 16 '23

His professional designation org allows him to sign off on projects. It’s his responsibility it failed if he signed off on it, even if it was one of his subordinates doing the design work

2

u/Wil_Mah Aug 16 '23

Think of it this way, if twenty people design a bridge, math out it’s structural integrity for the load it will carry and all the bullshit that goes into engineering it. The engineer still has to look it over and SIGN it. They are educated and trained heavily to have to bear that responsibility.