With the rise of Industry 4.0 and a subsequent increase in the regulation of engineers and technologists, more experience is required from professionals operating in relevant fields, says Society for Automation, Instrumentation, Mechatronics and Control (SAIMC) CEO Johan Maartens.

He says engineers are required to be registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), in addition to obtaining the relevant qualifications through educational institutions.

Registration with ECSA is a legal requirement for anyone working in the engineering field, according to the Engineering Professions Act 46 of 2000 and the Government Gazette No 44333 of March 26, 2021.

Engineers could, therefore, face legal ramifications should they not be registered with ECSA while doing ‘engineering work’ as defined in the abovementioned Gazette.

Maartens highlights, for example, the Engineering Profession Act 46 of 2000 paragraph 41(3), which stipulates that a person convicted of an offence in terms of Section 18(2) may be liable to a fine equal to double the remuneration received for work done in contravention of Section 18(2).

Alternatively, the offence could lead to a fine, calculated according to the ratio determined for three years’ imprisonment in terms of the Adjustment of Fines Act of 1991.

Despite the consequences, he notes that hesitation still persists among engineers regarding registration with ECSA, owing to misunderstandings pertaining to what the registration process entails.

Maartens clarifies, however, that ECSA does not conduct assessments, but rather trains professionals in the relevant industries to conduct the reviews.

Hence, he encourages engineers with experience in mechatronic devices, and factory and process automation, to register as trained assessors with ECSA to ensure that more experienced professionals are trained to review applicants.

This ensures that engineers employed by industry leaders have been sufficiently reviewed by professionals in the industry, with assessments taking place in three groups consisting of three assessors each.

The first group reviews applicants’ documents and makes recommendations. The documents are then sent to the second group of assessors to gain more information for the final interview rounds.

The third group conducts the final review of applicants to assess whether they have sufficient experience.

Maartens describes unplanned shutdowns as an “insult” and “embarrassment” to people working in the industry. He notes that shutdowns often arise because people do not have sufficient experience, adding that this lack of experience will “quickly come to light” if they attempt to register with ECSA.

“Bad service delivery and unplanned shutdowns are two main reasons why a mere qualification is no longer sufficient,” he expresses.