Engineer suspended over Maple Ridge home’s structural failures
An engineer has been hit with a fine and suspended after an investigation found multiple acts of unprofessional conduct during work on a Maple Ridge home which later suffered significant structural damage.
In a June 12 penalty decision, the Engineers and Geoscientists BC (EGBC) Discipline Committee suspended Chungmo Chung’s registration for two months, permanently restricted him from performing geotechnical engineering work unless the restriction is later lifted, and ordered him to pay nearly $95,000 in costs.
“The respondent’s management of the project and use of his seal were clearly problematic.” the EGBC panel said in their ruling. “This is serious misconduct that engages important and fundamental aspects of engineering practice.”
The penalty follows a September 2025 conduct decision in which the committee found Chung committed six instances of unprofessional conduct while serving as both the structural and geotechnical engineer for a residential property in Maple Ridge.
They found found Chung failed to conduct an adequate geotechnical assessment of the property, including failing to carry out sufficient field investigations or prepare an adequate design to demonstrate the site’s soil could safely support the home’s foundation loads. It also found he deviated from recommendations contained in a 2011 geotechnical report without documenting or explaining the changes on his engineering drawings.
The committee further determined Chung completed a required landslide assessment declaration despite not preparing the legislated landslide assessment itself, failed to carry out quality control testing of fill material placed beneath the home’s concrete slab, neglected to inspect the fill before the slab was poured, and failed to conduct field reviews or properly supervise an employee who carried out inspections and prepared field review reports.
The panel said the case involved failures in several fundamental responsibilities expected of a professional engineer.
According to the decision, the engineering deficiencies came to light after the home’s concrete slab failed. While the panel said it was not required to determine the precise cause of the damage, it concluded Chung’s failure to ensure the engineered fill met compaction specifications “would be likely to produce the very type of damage sustained by the property.”
The slab failure caused “considerable stress and inconvenience” for the Maple Ridge homeowners over several months, according to the ruling.
Although it found the damage did not likely present an immediate life-safety risk because the slab was not itself a structural component, it noted that the slab forms part of the building’s foundation and “its failure should not be minimized.”
In deciding the penalty, the committee weighed several aggravating and mitigating factors.
It found Chung’s more than 30 years of engineering experience was an aggravating factor, saying the deficiencies “should have been readily apparent to an engineer of the respondent’s seniority and experience.”
The panel also concluded Chung failed to meaningfully acknowledge his misconduct during the disciplinary proceedings, instead minimizing the seriousness of his actions.
At the same time, the panel credited Chung for paying the Maple Ridge homeowners out of his own pocket to repair the failed concrete slab and for completing additional geotechnical engineering education before the penalty hearing.
“The Respondent’s conduct in that regard is commendable and merits recognition,” the panel said, adding it may have imposed a longer suspension had he not compensated the homeowners.
The committee also stressed the need for the penalty to protect public confidence in the engineering profession.
“EGBC registrants must understand that meaningful consequences will flow from unprofessional conduct – particularly in a case like this, where there are multiple instances of unprofessional conduct which relate to fundamental professional responsibilities.”
It added that failing to impose a meaningful sanction could undermine public confidence in both the profession and the regulator’s ability to hold engineers accountable.
In addition to the two-month suspension, which runs from July 1 to Sept. 1 unless otherwise agreed, Chung must complete an online seminar before returning to practice, pass an EGBC exam by Jan. 1, 2027, and undergo a practice review six months after the suspension ends.
He is also prohibited from carrying out any geotechnical engineering work unless an EGBC committee approves lifting or modifying that restriction.
The panel also ordered Chung to reimburse EGBC $95,000 for the costs of investigating and prosecuting the disciplinary matter.
