Structural Codes and the Profession - Report of a Working Party

Debate concerning the role, authority and complexity of contemporary structural codes has persisted in Australia and overseas for many years. Beneath the surface of the debate there exist questions of professional responsibility to society, the rapid advance of technology, and the place of innovative engineering endeavour. The Report examines contemporary literature, and assesses the results of a widely circulated request for opinion. Conflicting views of different user groups are identified. The traditional roles of codes as multi-user documents, as vehicles for communicating information, and as educational resources are examined. The profession's view of codes is interpreted and a proposal put forward as to what should be the Institution of Engineers position on the philosophy, form and drafting of codes for assessment by the profession at large.