Unified qualification requirements for ground engineering and engineering geology professionals

Eurocode 7 (EN 1997) is the fundamental geotechnical standard in Europe. It states that the design and construction of geotechnical structures requires “appropriately qualified and experienced personnel”. Neither EN 1997 nor the various national annexes and/or Building Codes specify precisely what these “appropriate” qualification and experience requirements might be. For our profession, this is a serious situation as it opens the door for all sorts of self-declared “experts” to carry out ground investigations and to submit Ground Investigation and Geotechnical Design Reports on a low-bid basis, all too often to the detriment of safety. Against this background, the German Geotechnical Society DGGT has issued a document entitled “Geotechnical Professionals—Requirements on qualification and experience”. The document was developed in consensus between geotechnical engineers and engineering geologists. The requirements incorporate the following three general areas: (1) appropriate studies at tertiary level; (2) professional experience in ground engineering, and (3) continuous professional development. The DGGT aims to register qualified geotechnical professionals with the Chamber of Engineers (Ingenieurkammer). This appears to be the most attractive approach to registration as it covers the geo-engineering profession at large, including engineering geology.