Awareness of a few pieces of legislation that may apply to engineering skills is critical. Representatives of both engineers are unlikely to be content knowledge specialists in this field. However, the more engineers were aware of critical regulatory obligations, a less probable costly renovation would be considered necessary, and the more straightforward the process will be to avert any culpability that may emerge.
Intellectual Property
Intellectual property can be a difficult issue to navigate for engineering teams. Businesses vigorously defend their intellectual property because it may be the source of future revenue and competitive advantage. IP issues can arise in any area of engineering, but they are particularly prevalent in software development, where features and methodologies can infringe on intellectual property that the developers are unaware of.
Legal risks are assessed in large enterprises well before a project begins. The engineering manager should be briefed on these issues and may decide to share high-level information with the team. In any case, the manager should work to understand the legal “footprint” of similar and competing products.
Regulatory Compliance
Engineering managers working in sensitive areas such as medical devices will frequently need to be well-versed in the compliance issues that affect them. While virtually all products are subject to legal safety standards, those that pose an especially high risk to the public are often subjected to several rounds of compliance checks before being presented to the government agency in charge of determining their suitability for sale.
Every team in the enterprise plays a role in ensuring compliance in compliance-focused industries such as finance and healthcare. As regulations change, updated training and resources should be made available well before any changes take effect. Engineers should also be proactive in utilising resources such as professional conferences that can assist them in making adjustments to protect their interests.
LAWS AFFECTING THE WORKPLACE
In addition to the laws that engineers must be aware of, engineering managers may also need to be aware of the various laws that govern hiring and the workplace. Everything from hiring practises to workers’ compensation is covered by federal and state laws.
Health and safety regulations are particularly important in the engineering field. There are also laws prohibiting workplace discrimination, laws governing medical leave, and laws protecting workers’ rights.
Managers serve different functions in a company, so not all engineering managers need to be familiar with all workplace laws. Those interested in a career in engineering management should be aware that these laws exist and can impact a manager’s day-to-day duties.
Understanding Professional Liability for Engineers
If an engineer is tried to sue, he or she can be held liable on two bases: agreement responsibility as well as professional negligence. Contracts involve numerous terms which impose contract agreements and standards on the engineer in the case of contract liability. If an agreement does not express this, our legal system assumes that design services must be provided to a benchmark which protects the deal’s honesty and purpose. If the engineer fails to meet his or her contractual or inferred commitments, man or she may be liable for breach of contract.
If the court proceedings is in either contract or tort, the standard of care is critical in determining if the engineer’s conduct should be held legally liable. If the level of care is violated, the engineer would be found to have “negligence” and may be held liable for inadequate infrastructure. Section 72 of the Professional Engineers Act of Ontario Regulations defines “carelessness” as any act or omission in carrying out such a practitioner’s work that results in a failure to sustain the benchmarks that a reasonable and prudent practitioner would preserve in the situations.