A disciplinary hearing for Regina engineer Scott Gallagher, who is designing a bridge in rural Saskatchewan that collapsed hours after it opened in 2018, began Monday.
The Saskatchewan Association of Professional Engineers and Geologists (APEGS) claims that Gulacher violated the rules when designing the bridge.
A three-member commission will hear evidence of official complaints that Gulacher is in breach of the 1997 Regulation on the Regulatory Regulations for the Engineering and Geological Professions.
Four of the complaints concerned Gülacher’s involvement in design and construction of the Dyke Memorial Bridgewhich collapsed hours after it was discovered, in Clayton’s Rural Community (RM).
The fifth complaint alleges that Gullacher infringed the rules in the overall design of five municipal bridges in four other RMs in the province.
On Monday morning, Gulacher was asked whether or not he would plead guilty to the charges against him. Gülacher’s lawyer Peter Bergbusch said his client would refer to “without dispute”.
After a brief pause, the three-member panel said Gulaher’s “no dispute” was tantamount to innocence and the hearing would continue.
Collapse of the Dyke Bridge
On September 14, 2018, Clayton’s Rural Community (RM) announced on its Facebook page that “Dick Memorial Bridge is now complete and open.”
Later that day, the bridge collapsed. No one was injured.
The association claims that Gulacher did not exercise “care and diligence” when designing the bridge and the propellers that were supposed to hold it. APEGS also claims that Gulacher offered services or advice in an area beyond his professional competence.
Scott Gulacher is facing a disciplinary hearing over his involvement in the design of six bridge projects in Saskatchewan. (Kirk Fraser / CBC)
The association also claims that he was not “careful and diligent” in designing bridges in four other Saskatchewan RMs: Scott, Caledonia, Perdue and Mervin. In 2019, Saskatchewan The Ministry of Highways has set weight limits on bridges after inspection by a consultant.
Potential penalties
If a group of three finds that Gulacher has committed a professional misconduct or professional incompetence, he or she may face different consequences.
It can be disabled or removed from APEGS, or removed or restricted from operating under certain conditions.
The panel could also impose a $ 15,000 fine.
The hearing was adjourned on Monday afternoon and will resume on Tuesday at 14:00 CST. It is scheduled to last until Friday.
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