Sask. engineer slapped with an 18-month suspension after designing bridge that collapsed hours after opening | 24CA News
The affiliation that regulates skilled engineers in Saskatchewan has suspended Scott Gullacher for 18 months as a result of he designed a bridge that collapsed simply hours after it opened to the general public.
Gullacher was accountable for the Dyck Memorial Bridge within the RM of Clayton, about 300 kilometres east of Saskatoon. It opened and collapsed on Sept. 14, 2018.
No one was injured when it fell into the river.
The engineer was discovered responsible on three counts {of professional} misconduct earlier this 12 months by a self-discipline committee panel for the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS.)
On Monday, the affiliation launched its closing order associated to its investigation into Gullacher’s misconduct, together with the bridge collapse — described within the doc as a “catastrophic failure” — and different initiatives.
The affiliation decided that Gullacher did not function in a “careful and diligent manner” on the Dyck Memorial Bridge, as a result of he didn’t make use of a site-specific geotechnical evaluation and didn’t present enough engineering designs for the helical pile foundations.
The engineer was additionally reprimanded for his work on 5 different bridges positioned within the Sask. rural municipalities of Scott, Caledonia, Mervin and Perdue.
On that matter, the self-discipline committee panel discovered Gullacher’s designs “lacked relevant design information, including inaccurate representation of bridge designs,” and that they lacked vital particulars, amongst different code deficiencies.
This resulted in “five superstructure designs which were inadequate to carry the minimum loads required by the code.”
Engineer’s suspension ends later this 12 months
According to the APEGS closing order, Gullacher is presently dwelling and figuring out of the province. However, it says he has expressed a need to return to Saskatchewan and resume working as an engineer. That might occur by December 2023.
The begin of Gullacher’s suspension is backdated to June 8, 2022 — the date he was ordered to cease training professionally within the province.
However there can be restrictions if he returns.
Once his suspension interval ends, the engineer can be barred from engaged on bridge initiatives in Saskatchewan for 5 years.
Gullacher will even be topic to a few years of direct supervision. During that point, Gullacher should full 5 hours of verifiable ethics coaching in every of the three years.
He can also be required to pay APEGS‘s most high-quality of $15,000 on prime of $32,000 for the affiliation’s investigation prices.
The engineer has already confronted some monetary penalties for his actions.
During the investigation course of, Gullacher testified that he paid $250,000 out of his personal pocket to restore the collapsed Dyck Memorial Bridge, in accordance with the affiliation. He has additionally apologized to all of the agricultural municipalities affected by his actions.
The APEGS order additionally revealed that Gullacher misplaced his business Inertia Solutions Inc. after he was ordered to cease working within the province.
