A Saskatchewan engineer has been found guilty of three counts of professional misconduct.

The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS), the regulator of professional engineers and geoscientists, found Scott Gullacher guilty of the three counts.

The three counts of professional misconduct are related to two formal complaints.

One complaint pertains to the RM of Clayton’s Dyck Memorial Bridge, which collapsed moments after it was opened on September 14, 2018.

The second complaint pertains to five municipal bridges, one in each of the RMs of Scott, Caledonia and Mervin and two in the RM of Purdue.

“Gullacher was found to have not practised in a careful and diligent manner by not employing a site-specific geotechnical analysis and by not providing adequate engineering designs for the helical pile foundations,” according to a release from APEGS.

The designs prepared by Gullacher for the five municipal bridges “lacked relevant design information, including inaccurate representation of bridge designs, numerous Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code deficiencies, lack of critical detail on plans for welding details, among other deficiencies,” the release continued.

This resulted in five superstructure designs which were inadequate to carry the minimum loads required by the code.

The panel did not receive sufficient evidence to prove professional misconduct regarding two additional counts.

Due to the panel’s findings, Gullacher is prohibited from practising engineering in Saskatchewan as an interim order.

The final decision on his conduct will come in March 2023. The panel orders he “not practice as a professional engineer until a final order is made.