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Peer Review – Why and How 

Regulating professionals to assure Quality professional services to the public.

As one of the services to members, the Joint Structural Division decided to create a specialist listing of all Structural Engineers in South Africa and southern Africa who are registered in terms of the Engineering Professions Act, 2000 (Act No. 46 of 2000). The reason for this specialist listing is due to the third edition of SANS 10400-B being scheduled for publication in 2006.

 SANS 10400 (2006) defines a competent person as a person who is qualified by virtue of his experience and training to make a determination regarding the performance of a building or part thereof in relation to a functional regulation. A Competent Person (Structures) is a person who is registered in terms of the Engineering Professions Act, 2000 (Act No 46 of 2000) as either a Professional Engineer or a Professional Engineering Technologist and is recognised by his peers as having

  • an understanding of the environment within which structural engineering is practiced
  • an ability to produce viable structural solutions, within the scope of a design brief, taking account of structural stability, durability, aesthetics and cost
  • an ability to determine and document the form and size of structural members and related connections
  • an ability to specify and co-ordinate the use of primary structural materials and 
  • an ability to communicate construction techniques and sequencing for structural engineering works.
How does a person become listed as a Competent Person (Structures)?

Persons wishing to be placed on this list must not only satisfy the admission criteria, but also at the time of application be actively engaged in the application of part B (Structural Design) of the National Building Regulations. Such persons must also undertake to participate in continuing professional development so as to maintain their competence and expertise in structural engineering and to abide by certain rules of conduct in addition to those of the Engineering Council of South


Persons who have the necessary professional registration and are not members of the Institution of Structural Engineers may become listed by:

1. Passing the Institution of Structural Engineers’ examination for corporate membership or
2. Peer assessment, if over the age of 40.

The Joint Structural Division will make all the necessary examination arrangements. The examination will be marked by IStructE in the UK.

Persons admitted to the list must reapply to the JSD to remain on the list every three years (Form 4). Any breach of the codes of conduct is sufficient grounds for the JSD to remove a name from the list. A history of any breach of the code of conduct is sufficient grounds for refusing the admission of a name to the list.