{"id":57994,"date":"2026-09-29T09:58:35","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T13:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oiq.qc.ca\/?post_type=publication&#038;p=57994"},"modified":"2026-09-29T09:58:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T13:58:37","slug":"reserved-activities-what-you-can-do-without-breaking-the-rules-or-derailing-your-career","status":"publish","type":"publication","link":"https:\/\/www.oiq.qc.ca\/en\/publication\/reserved-activities-what-you-can-do-without-breaking-the-rules-or-derailing-your-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Reserved activities: What you can do without breaking the rules\u2014or derailing your career"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"block-wrapper wp-block-acf-wysiwyg\" data-block-name=\"Wysiwyg\">\n<div class=\"bloc-wysiwyg \">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n        <div class=\"wysiwyg \">\n\t<p>The good news: they trust you.<\/p>\n<p>One small concern: you wonder if you\u2019re really allowed to do this.<\/p>\n<p>Short answer: it depends!<\/p>\n<p>Yep, not the most exciting answer in the world. But here, it all depends (really) on how your work will be used: is it being used to document something or to make a decision?<\/p>\n<p>Correcting a typo on a plan isn\u2019t the same as changing a dimension that will be used for construction. Running tests to collect data isn\u2019t the same as concluding that a system is compliant. Reviewing a script according based on predefined logic isn\u2019t the same as changing the logic that controls a process.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to designing, verifying, correcting, approving, or certifying something, you\u2019re dealing with what the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oiq.qc.ca\/en\/lordre\/politiques-lois-et-reglements\/lois-et-reglements-entourant-la-pratique-du-genie\/la-loi-sur-les-ingenieurs-du-quebec\/\">Engineers Act<\/a> calls a <strong>reserved activity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Why are some activities reserved?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cReserved\u201d doesn\u2019t mean \u201coff-limits to everyone except engineers.\u201d It means that the responsibility must remain in the hands of an engineer.<\/p>\n<p>Why? Because this work can be used to make decisions with potentially serious consequences for public safety, the environment, a structure, a process, or a system.<\/p>\n<p>As an intern or CEP, you can contribute to these activities, but not without supervision: an engineer must <strong>supervise the work and review the result<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Tasks you shouldn\u2019t do on your own<\/h2>\n<p>Here are the main categories of tasks for which you should take a step back and ask questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>designing or determining concepts, parameters, or models<\/li>\n<li>performing engineering calculations or tests<\/li>\n<li>preparing or making changes to plans or specifications<\/li>\n<li>preparing or making changes to a report, study, drawing, calculation, or operating\/maintenance manual<\/li>\n<li>inspecting a project or supervising construction work<\/li>\n<li>providing an engineering opinion or issuing a certificate of compliance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Learning comes first<\/h2>\n<p>Imagine that, during your internship, you\u2019re programming a robot on an automotive assembly line. You\u2019re the one turning the instructions into actual movements. But before you start coding, an engineer first has to define the critical parameters: the robot\u2019s movements, its speed, and the loads it can carry. Why? Because an error doesn\u2019t just create a bug\u2014it can damage equipment or injure someone.<\/p>\n<p>You can do the programming, but the engineer must approve it before the assembly line starts up to make sure it meets the design parameters. In short, you contribute to the project, but the decision that affects public safety remains the responsibility of the person who has the professional expertise to make it.<\/p>\n<p>The same principle applies to the documents that result from this work. What you\u2019re preparing may end up in engineering documents: plans, specifications, reports, studies, calculations, drawings, or operating\/maintenance manuals. This document cannot simply be handed over with your name on it as if everything were settled. It must be reviewed and, when required, authenticated by an engineer, who assumes professional responsibility for it.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no need to panic as soon as a plan or calculation appears on your screen. You\u2019re here to learn and hone your professional judgment, not to avoid real work. Supervision also protects you: it keeps you from being solely responsible for an engineering decision that isn\u2019t yours to make yet.<\/p>\n<h2>What you can do, generally speaking<\/h2>\n<p>Once that distinction is clear, some tasks are much less sensitive. They can generally be carried out without immediate control and supervision, even if they remain supervised within the context of your internship or workplace.<\/p>\n<p>For example, you can generally perform administrative or project management tasks, take measurements or readings, collect samples, program a PLC using a predetermined algorithm, or participate in teaching or research activities.<\/p>\n<p>Again, what\u2019s matter is how the result will be used.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<section style=\"margin-bottom: 40px\" class=\"container contenu-flexible disposition-full block-wrapper wp-block-acf-contenu-flexible\">\n  <div class=\"wysiwyg\">\n        <div class=\"row\">\n      \n      <div class=\"col-12\">\n                              <div class=\"content-image\">\n              <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oiq.qc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/web_article03_etudiant_activites_reserves_schema_ANG.svg\" alt=\"\">\n              <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n\n      \n          <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<div class=\"block-wrapper wp-block-acf-wysiwyg\" data-block-name=\"Wysiwyg\">\n<div class=\"bloc-wysiwyg \">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n        <div class=\"wysiwyg \">\n\t<p>If you\u2019re unsure whether the task contributes to a reserved activity and requires immediate control and supervision, ask the person who assigned the work or the engineer in charge of the project: <strong>\u201cWho\u2019s supervising this work? And who will review the result before it\u2019s used?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you still have questions, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oiq.qc.ca\/contacter-lordre\/\">contact the OIQ<\/a>. This is exactly the kind of question you should ask before the work is submitted, used, or signed.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"reserved activities, Candidate to the Engineering Profession (CEP), internship, supervision, validation of results, responsible engineer, reserved activity, engineering practice, plans and specifications, engineering report, certificate of compliance, structure inspection, direct and immediate supervision, engineering intern, Engineers Act.","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"type_publication":[],"secteurs_activites":[],"categorie_publication":[],"theme":[],"class_list":["post-57994","publication","type-publication","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Reserved activities: What you can do without breaking the rules\u2014or derailing your career - OIQ - Ordre des ing\u00e9nieurs du Qu\u00e9bec (French only)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you a CEP or an engineering intern? 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