Singapore legislation
Section 29
Section 29
Independence of structural engineers
(1)
A structural engineer must not be appointed by the Commissioner of Building Control or owner of a building for the purpose of carrying out an inspection of a building under section 28 if the structural engineer has any professional or financial interest in the building.
(2)
A structural engineer is to be regarded as having a professional or financial interest in any building if —
he or she is or has been responsible for the design or construction of the building or any of the building works in any capacity except building works relating to the alterations of the building which —
do not affect any key structural element; or
affect any structural element but the effects are localised in nature and do not require any strengthening of any key structural element;
he or she or any nominee of his or hers is a member, officer or employee of a company or other body which has a professional or financial interest in the building or any part thereof;
he or she is a partner or is in the employment of a person who has a professional or financial interest in the building or any part thereof; or
he or she holds any interest in the building or any part thereof.
(3)
For the purposes of this section —
a person is to be treated as having a professional or financial interest in the building even if he or she has that interest only as trustee for the benefit of some other person; and
in the case of married people living together, the interest of one spouse is, if known to the other, deemed to be also an interest of the other.
(4)
For the purposes of this section —
involvement in the inspection of a building under section 28; and
entitlement to any fee paid for carrying out any inspection under section 28,is not to be regarded as constituting a professional or financial interest.
(5)
The Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, exempt from subsection (1) any building owned by any public authority constituted by any public Act.