Peer Reviews
More Than Just a Few Red Marks
The first canon of the National Society of Professional Engineers Code of Ethics is that:
“Engineers, in the fulfillment of their professional duties, shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public.”
Similarly, the preamble of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Code of Ethics includes a statement that requires members of ASCE to “conduct themselves with integrity and professionalism, and above all else protect and advance the health, safety, and welfare of the public through the practice of civil engineering.”
The key to realize these type of edicts is that all engineers regardless of their specialization (discipline) have an ethical obligation to have their work thoroughly reviewed prior to issuing final deliverables such as reports, plans, specifications. By corollary, this also extends to all work preceding the final deliverables such as planning, preliminary design, etc. which often can have a significant influence on final work product. We at NCSG take this responsibility very seriously. Additionally, any geotechnical engineer is aware of the potential liability associated with errors or omissions in their work.
To assure our clients of consistently high quality work, NCSG implements a rigorous Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) program which includes internal reviews and external consultations/reviews. For external consultations/reviews NCSG engages outside subject matter experts (SMEs) from its local and national network of contacts that includes resources from other consultants, FHWA, DOTs, universities, contractors, etc. This unique combination of internal and external consultations/reviews is to make sure that our QA/QC standards are met, and that our design recommendations are of the highest quality.
Smaller consulting firms often find it difficult to implement a rigorous QA/QC process. Even larger firms may find themselves having no one qualified to review a more senior engineer’s work. But there is no excuse for not adequately reviewing calculations and designs or construction procedures and field test results! In situations like this, NCSG can be an extension of your staff and perform these peer or independent technical reviews. It is a critically important part of the design and construction processes and, therefore, please don’t let it slip through the cracks of your project.
Contact Us anytime to discuss how NCSG can help with peer reviews.