A Christchurch engineer has been suspended after complaints about his poor judgement and behaviour, which included three drink driving convictions.
Joseph McGirr faced two separate complaints at a disciplinary committee about his behaviour as a professional. The first related to him being convicted of drink driving for a third time within a short period, while the second concerned him entering the house of a former client uninvited after drinking alcohol.
The committee upheld both complaints and suspended McGirr from the register of Chartered Professional Engineers and membership of Engineering New Zealand for three months. He will only be reinstated if he completes approved drug and alcohol counselling and professional ethics counselling.
McGirr was also ordered he pay $37,000 in fines and costs.
The disciplinary committee said McGirr’s three convictions for drink-driving and failure to comply with a supervision order "indicate poor decision-making, disrespect for the law and a serious lack of judgement".
It said that while these offences didn’t occur while McGirr was undertaking engineering work, their seriousness meant they cannot be separated from his professional life.
"If a person demonstrates poor judgment, disrespect for legal sanctions and bad decision-making in their private life, it is not unreasonable to assume that the reasonable public and a body of their peers will assume that this behaviour will also affect their professional activities," the disciplinary committee said.
The committee also heard how McGirr entered the complainant’s house uninvited, under the influence of alcohol. The committee said its decision was “an important reminder for the profession that the Code of Ethical Conduct always applies to engineers’ behaviour towards their clients, including outside working hours”.
"Mr McGirr’s actions fell very well short of what would reasonably be expected of a chartered member of Engineering New Zealand and as a Chartered Professional Engineer."
