PROGRESS AND RENEWAL
This situation would involve several actions, which the applicant might describe like this: It was required that a fall arrest system be installed onto a D-rung ladder. I reviewed the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act , Regulation and Code to determine the maximum allowable fall arrest load that was suspended at a maximum height of 100 metres from the ground. This turned out to be a 4,000-newton payload. I had sourced out a fall arrest system and aluminium ladder that met the OHS standards based on the allowable fall arrest load. I then performed finite element analysis on the guide rail and determined the reaction loads the rail applied to the required number of rungs. The reaction load applied to the ladder rung was at the centre. I calculated the maximum bending and shear stresses of the ladder rung and noted that they exceeded the combined allowable stresses that I calculated based on the design guidelines for aluminum construction as indicated in the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) S157 design code. The design solution that I developed, based on engineering principles to overcome the extreme bending and shear stresses on the rung, was to insert a custom solid aluminum bar conforming to the D-rung cross- sectional shape and supported by end caps. This was only required to be done at rungs that supported the fall arrest guide rail. The resulting outcome might be: The design upgrade resulted in making the noted D-rungs a rigid member that would support the excessive bending and shear stress of the loaded rung. A safe and economical design solution was approved and implemented for the customer. THREE LEVELS OF ASSESSMENT Under CBA, an applicant’s proficiency in each of the 22 key competencies will be rated three times. First, applicants will self-assess their competencies. This allows them to think critically about their experience and become partners in the application process. Each applicant must then identify a validator for each key competency—someone who can validate or
In the technical competence category, applicants are asked to demonstrate their knowledge of regulations, codes, and standards—including safety, and local engineering procedures and practices. Indicators for this competency are: • identify and comply with legal and regulatory requirements for project activities • incorporate knowledge of codes and regulations in design materials • prepare reports assessing project compliance with codes, standards, and regulations • recognize the need to design for code compliance and ensure ability to construct, ability to operate, and ability to maintain, once constructed An applicant with experience as a mechanical engineer might submit the following example: I was assigned a project that required us to develop a fall arrest system for our secondary surveillance radar product line, to allow the maintenance crew access to the top portion of the structure. This comprised an access ladder that was requested by the customer and an outsourced fall arrest system. SELF-ASSESS YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE BEFORE YOU APPLY Prospective applicants can assess their work experience prior to applying for an engineering licence with APEGA. By using our online Competency Self-Assessment Worksheet (CSAW) , they can compare their scores to APEGA’s licensing requirements. This will help them determine whether they need to improve their skills before applying. CSAW is an optional self-assessment tool and doesn’t affect membership applications. It’s not an official document and won’t be reviewed by APEGA’s Board of Examiners. To complete the self-assessment, you must have already started the application process and received an APEGA ID number. You will see the CSAW option in your Member Self-Service Centre account.
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