BILL REQ. #: H-1836.1
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2011 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 02/17/11.
AN ACT Relating to modifying the definition of significant structure to allow an engineer to provide structural engineering services on certain structures without being registered as a structural engineer; and amending RCW 18.43.020.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 18.43.020 and 2007 c 193 s 2 are each amended to read
as follows:
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter
unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Engineer" means a professional engineer as defined in this
section.
(2) "Professional engineer" means a person who, by reason of his or
her special knowledge of the mathematical and physical sciences and the
principles and methods of engineering analysis and design, acquired by
professional education and practical experience, is qualified to
practice engineering as defined in this section, as attested by his or
her legal registration as a professional engineer.
(3) "Engineer-in-training" means a candidate who: (a) Has
satisfied the experience requirements in RCW 18.43.040 for
registration; (b) has successfully passed the examination in the
fundamental engineering subjects; and (c) is enrolled by the board as
an engineer-in-training.
(4) "Engineering" means the "practice of engineering" as defined
in this section.
(5)(a) "Practice of engineering" means any professional service or
creative work requiring engineering education, training, and experience
and the application of special knowledge of the mathematical, physical,
and engineering sciences to such professional services or creative work
as consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning, design, and
supervision of construction for the purpose of assuring compliance with
specifications and design, in connection with any public or private
utilities, structures, buildings, machines, equipment, processes,
works, or projects.
(b) A person shall be construed to practice or offer to practice
engineering, within the meaning and intent of this chapter, who
practices any branch of the profession of engineering; or who, by
verbal claim, sign, advertisement, letterhead, card, or in any other
way represents himself or herself to be a professional engineer, or
through the use of some other title implies that he or she is a
professional engineer; or who holds himself or herself out as able to
perform, or who does perform, any engineering service or work or any
other professional service designated by the practitioner or recognized
by educational authorities as engineering.
(c) The practice of engineering does not include the work
ordinarily performed by persons who operate or maintain machinery or
equipment.
(6) "Land surveyor" means a professional land surveyor.
(7) "Professional land surveyor" means a person who, by reason of
his or her special knowledge of the mathematical and physical sciences
and principles and practices of land surveying, which is acquired by
professional education and practical experience, is qualified to
practice land surveying and as attested to by his or her legal
registration as a professional land surveyor.
(8) "Land-surveyor-in-training" means a candidate who: (a) Has
satisfied the experience requirements in RCW 18.43.040 for
registration; (b) successfully passes the examination in the
fundamental land surveying subjects; and (c) is enrolled by the board
as a land-surveyor-in-training.
(9) "Practice of land surveying" means assuming responsible charge
of the surveying of land for the establishment of corners, lines,
boundaries, and monuments, the laying out and subdivision of land, the
defining and locating of corners, lines, boundaries, and monuments of
land after they have been established, the survey of land areas for the
purpose of determining the topography thereof, the making of
topographical delineations and the preparing of maps and accurate
records thereof, when the proper performance of such services requires
technical knowledge and skill.
(10) "Board" means the state board of registration for professional
engineers and land surveyors, provided for by this chapter.
(11) "Significant structures" include:
(a) Hazardous facilities, defined as: Structures housing,
supporting, or containing sufficient quantities of explosive substances
to be of danger to the safety of the public if released;
(b) Essential facilities that have a ground area of more than five
thousand square feet and are more than twenty feet in mean roof height
above average ground level. Essential facilities are defined as:
(i) Hospitals and other medical facilities having surgery and
emergency treatment areas;
(ii) Fire and police stations;
(iii) Tanks or other structures containing, housing, or supporting
water or fire suppression material or equipment required for the
protection of essential or hazardous facilities or special occupancy
structures;
(iv) Emergency vehicle shelters and garages;
(v) Structures and equipment in emergency preparedness centers;
(vi) Standby power-generating equipment for essential facilities;
(vii) Structures and equipment in government communication centers
and other facilities requiring emergency response;
(viii) Aviation control towers, air traffic control centers, and
emergency aircraft hangars; and
(ix) Buildings and other structures having critical national
defense functions;
(c)(i) Except as provided in (c)(ii) of this subsection, structures
exceeding one hundred feet in height above average ground level;
(ii) Telecommunication and broadcast antenna supporting tower
structures that are not customarily occupied by human beings and that
are located a distance of at least the height of the structure plus one
hundred feet from buildings customarily occupied by human beings are
not considered significant structures;
(d) Buildings that are customarily occupied by human beings and are
five stories or more above average ground level;
(e) Bridges having a total span of more than two hundred feet and
piers having a surface area greater than ten thousand square feet; and
(f) Buildings and other structures where more than three hundred
people congregate in one area.