Media Advisory/Photo Opportunity: Government Changing the Professional Engineers Act to Help Improve Workplace Safety; May Impact Some Manufacturers

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 4, 2013) - On September 1, 2013, the Government of Ontario is scheduled to repeal section 12.(3)(a) of the Professional Engineers Act, which previously allowed individuals to oversee or carry out certain professional engineering work without having a P.Eng. licence.

The repeal will mean that all professional engineering work on industrial equipment and machinery will need to be under the oversight of a licensed professional engineer. The change - which is expected to affect approximately 1,000 Ontario companies - will bring the province in line with the rest of Canada, and enhance the workplace safety programs of businesses.

PEO is working in partnership with the Ontario government, the business community, and labour to make the province's workplaces the safest they can be.

Professional engineers have the education and training to design and oversee the most complex manufacturing processes - efficiently and safely - and are held accountable to the public for the quality and safety of their work.

This repeal will close existing safety gaps and provide the accountability that will help to ensure a healthier and safer workplace. Today, Marisa Sterling of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) will participate in a roundtable, hosted by the Northumberland Manufacturers' Association, about the impending repeal.

With the support of government, PEO is conducting province-wide information sessions to inform and assist Ontario-based manufacturers in adjusting to this change. These sessions are a part of PEO's comprehensive transition strategy, which includes a one-year transition period and an investment of $1.2-million in offsets to licensing fees for those affected in Ontario's manufacturing industry.

Twenty-one information sessions have been organized, and 19 have taken place. Through these sessions, PEO has met with more than 500 employers and employees from Ontario's manufacturing sector.

WHO:

Marisa Sterling, P.Eng.
Lead for Regulatory Compliance
Professional Engineers Ontario

WHAT:

An Engineering Roundtable, hosted by the Northumberland Manufacturers' Association, regarding the repeal of section 12.(3)(a) of the Professional Engineers Act, also known as the "industrial exception"

WHEN

Tuesday, June 4, 2013
2:00 - 4:00 pm

WHERE:

Council Chambers, Northumberland County Headquarters Building
555 Courthouse Road, Cobourg, Ontario

About Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO)

Through the Professional Engineers Act, PEO governs over 80,000 licence and certificate holders and regulates professional engineering in Ontario to serve and protect the public. It fulfills the same role for engineering as the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario does for medicine and the Law Society of Upper Canada for law. Professional engineering safeguards life, health, property, economic interests, the public welfare and the environment. Professional engineers can be identified by the P.Eng. after their names. Visit www.peo.on.ca.