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

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 8, 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.

Ontario averages more than 100 workplace fatalities in the manufacturing sector each year, approximately half the Canadian total.

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. On Wednesday May 8th, at a meeting organized by the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium, Marisa Sterling of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) will discuss the new licence requirements for engineering work done by employees on industrial equipment or machinery that produce a product for their employer in their employer's facilities, and what manufacturers can do to become compliant.

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.

Through these information sessions, PEO has met with more than 400 employers and employees from Ontario's manufacturing sector.

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.