Professional Engineer Stamp

[kaffy]

Good Evening fellow engineers,

I have recently received my engineering stamp and am curious about liability issues while stamping the layout drawings. I work with an elevator contractor. In the first phase, we usually issue the layout drawings showing the technical data table, plan view & elevation view. The layout drawings usually have the placement of elevator components as per the appropriate clearance around or in front of elevator equipment and elevator related data such as elevator specifications, heat loads, reaction loads etc. We outsource elevator controllers and a lot of other equipment from various suppliers. My question is what is the extent of liability while stamping the layout drawings?

 

[IRstuff]

Seems pretty simple to me; if the elevator fails and causes death or injury, would someone be able to point to your layout drawing as being the root cause, even incorrectly? How would you defend yourself? What happens if you get even the tiniest bit of blame?

It sounds like you don't even have liability insurance? Unless your company is paying for it?

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

faq731-376 forum1529 Entire Forum list

http://www.eng-tips.com/forumlist.cfm

 

[dik]

Make sure you are covered by your companies liability insurance. You might want to contact a lawyer just to see how you should be covered.

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[SWComposites]

a) why do the layout drawings need to be stamped?
b) who was stamping the layout drawings before you got your stamp? Have you discussed the issue with that person?
c) as others said, who is providing insurance for you?

 

[Geoff13]

Stamping and liability are separate things. The following is extracted from the British Columbia P.Eng. stamping guideline (since that seems to be your location). My experience is this statement is true for all Canadian provinces.

The legal liability of Professional Registrants is not dependent on whether or not the Professional Registrants Authenticate Documents that they prepared, or that were prepared under their Direct Supervision, and delivered to others who will rely on them. Professional
Registrants are professionally responsible and accountable for any aspect of a project, work, or Document that they have prepared and delivered, whether or not they Authenticate any aspect of a project, work, or Document.​

The complete document can be found here.

However if there is no engineering content on the drawing why would it get stamped? Having fought with Owner's all my career I know that they often want every drawing stamped and aren't interested in the "engineering content" idea.

 

[dik]

Correctly or incorrectly, your exposure/reputation can be determined by the insurance company, depending on how they want to handle the claim. It may be out of your hands.

-----*****-----
So strange to see the singularity approaching while the entire planet is rapidly turning into a hellscape. -John Coates

-Dik

 

[skeletron]

Similar to @Geoff13's comment:
Look at EGBC's Professional Practice Guideline for Shop Drawings. There is some information about where seals are not required (re: not design drawings, general arrangement only).

One method to deal with this is to write under your stamp what is included in your responsibility. Example:

[stamp]
[signature over stamp w/ date and permit number]
[reason] FOR STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF ELEVATOR ONLY [/reason]

This is a common and legitimate way to deal with multi-disciplinary drawings or retrofits. Not fool-proof, but definitely clearer than including no reason and definitely more diplomatic for non-engineer managers who insist every title block is stamped.

 

[JStructsteel]

Everyone thinks that outside of engineering a stamp is required on everything? A cut sheet for epoxy? It needs to be stamped.

Protect your stamp. If someone pressures you to stamp something, make sure you are confident what you stamp is correct.