Engineers Act 1967 and Subsidiary Legislation
The Act and the Board
The Engineers Act 1967 (Act 136) establishes the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) as the statutory regulator. The Board registers engineers, controls the use of professional titles, regulates practice, handles discipline and advises the Minister. The Act is supplemented by the Registration of Engineers Regulations 1990, which set out registration procedures, practising certificates and the Code of Professional Conduct.
Core rules
- Registration categories include Graduate Engineer, Professional Engineer and temporary registration for specific work. A Professional Engineer who wishes to practise as a consultant must hold a valid practising certificate.
- Unregistered persons must not hold themselves out as engineers or use protected titles. Practising without the required registration or certificate is an offence.
- The Board may impose conditions, suspend or cancel registration after disciplinary proceedings.
- Only a registered Professional Engineer with the appropriate practising certificate may sign and certify engineering works in the manner required by law.
- The Act gives the Board power to make regulations on fees, continuing professional development, professional conduct and consultancy practice.
Worked example
A foreign specialist is engaged for a six-month bridge erection. The firm proposes that he signs as engineer using his home-country title. Reasoning: he is not registered in Malaysia. The lawful route is temporary registration for the specific project, working within the approved scope, typically alongside a locally registered Professional Engineer who remains responsible for certification. Letting him sign without registration exposes him and the firm to prosecution and undermines the client's assurance.
Traps
- Assuming a company's SSM registration permits engineering practice.
- Confusing Graduate Engineer registration with a licence to practise independently.
- Treating a practising certificate as permanent; it is renewed annually.
- Believing foreign qualifications alone confer Malaysian practice rights.