Asked to stamp something I've never worked on or even know about 8

[psmpsm]

I am a licensed PE who recently joined a company with the idea that my PE would be used for stamping some projects. I was alright with that assuming the projects were something I worked on and oversaw and something that was in my expertise.

Recently, I was asked to review and stamp some test reports for a different division dealing with physical parts. I know nothing about physical parts and don't feel comfortable taking on that liability even if I was able to understand it on short notice.

My company is saying they will lose business if they don't have someone stamp these reports.

What do I do? My expertise is in power systems analysis, they are asking me to stamp something regarding connector test reports, something I've never worked on or know anything about. If I say no, what will happen to me?

 

[IRstuff]

OP's profile indicates Texas, which has an industrial exemption

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[phamENG]

I don't know of a state without one, but if these services are being offered outside the company, the industrial exemption likely would not apply. If he was designing the bus bars to go on a manufactured load center, sure. But if they are offering data center design as a service, I suspect it would not. Question for an attorney.

 

[stevenal]

Stamping a document with a stateside stamp for delivery to a client in Canada. Sounds like engineering without a license to me. To make sure, check the laws of the province in question.

 

[FacEngrPE]

Does you company have a signature authorization policy? If so it may turn out that you are not allowed to use your stamp for company work, solving the problem. This is the kind of situation where you can request your supervision to get an opinion from the company lawyer regarding who in the company is authorized to apply a PE Stamp. Much as I hate to get the legal department involved in engineering, this is a situation where a carefully worded question can avoid much trouble.

When I looked into this at my company I found that I am not allowed to "Stamp" my work. Only the director of facilities engineering has that authority. This only becomes an issue if I were to produce something that our jurisdiction requires to be "stamped" (it is all related to building plans), as his reasonable control over my engineering product could be questioned.

 

[lacajun]

psmpsm, I would strongly recommend you read the statutes of each state in which your designs will be built. You need to pay close attention to their definitions, requirements, etc. If you are not in responsible charge, you probably cannot be the engineer of record either, legally. It is imperative that you read state statutes and digest them. This is your learning curve.

Advice is good to seek but you need to develop the skills of reading statutes and understanding what they mean. This is an often overlooked aspect of engineering. Your company needs to ensure that it is operating with the laws of each state, too. All of you have that responsibility, as I have understood it per state boards. Ignorance is not an excuse for them. Public safety, and public means everyone per state boards, is the responsibility of government and everyone else, too.

Pamela K. Quillin, P.E.
Quillin Engineering, LLC
NSPE-CO, Central Chapter
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