NSPE is collaborating with the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers to defeat legislation that would limit the professional engineer’s independent judgment when making decisions about the proper type of piping. Similar versions of this legislation have been introduced in states across the nation, including South Carolina and Michigan, where NSPE has teamed up with the state societies to defeat the measures. The professional engineer’s foremost responsibility is to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. PEs are already obligated to choose the right piping material, based on experience, expertise, qualifications, and the applied knowledge of engineering principles.
In a letter to the chairwoman and vice chair of the Ohio House State and Local Government Committee, NSPE President Kodi Jean Verhalen, P.E., Esq., F.NSPE, asserted, “If H.B. 121 is enacted, professional engineers would not have the final decision on the selection of appropriate piping materials for projects. It is the professional engineer who protects citizens’ safety and the professional engineer who must make this decision.”