Section 3746.071. Duties of certified professionals

(A) As used in this section, "certified professional" means a certified professional deemed to be certified under division (D) of section 3746.07 of the Revised Code.

(B) A certified professional shall do all of the following:

(1) Protect the safety, health, and welfare of the public in the performance of professional duties. If a circumstance arises where the certified professional faces a situation where the safety, health, or welfare of the public would not be protected, the certified professional shall do all of the following:

(a) Sever the relationship with the certified professional's employer or client;

(b) Refuse to accept responsibility for the design, report, or statement involved;

(c) Notify the director of environmental protection if, in the opinion of the certified professional, the situation is sufficiently important.

(2) Undertake to perform assignments only when the certified professional or the certified professional's consulting support is qualified by training and experience in the specific technical fields involved;

(3) Be completely objective in any professional report, statement, or testimony. The certified professional shall include all relevant and pertinent information in the report, statement, or testimony when the result of an omission would or reasonably could lead to a fallacious conclusion.

(4) Express an opinion as a technical or expert witness before any court, commission, or other tribunal only when it is founded upon adequate knowledge of the facts in issue, upon a background of technical competence in the subject matter, and upon honest conviction of the accuracy and propriety of the testimony.

(C) A certified professional shall not issue statements, criticisms, or arguments on matters connected with public policy that are inspired or paid for by an interested party, unless the certified professional has prefaced the remarks by explicitly identifying the certified professional, by disclosing the identity of the parties on whose behalf the certified professional is speaking, and by revealing the existence of any pecuniary interest the certified professional may have in the instant matters.

(D)

(1) A certified professional shall conscientiously avoid any conflict of interest with the certified professional's employer or client.

(2) A certified professional promptly shall inform the certified professional's employer or client of any business association, interests, or circumstances that could influence the certified professional's judgment or the quality of the certified professional's service to the employer or client.

(3) A certified professional shall not accept compensation, financial or otherwise, from more than one party for services on or pertaining to the same project, unless the circumstances are fully disclosed to, and agreed to, by all interested parties or their duly authorized agents.

(4) A certified professional shall not solicit or accept financial or other valuable considerations from material or equipment suppliers for specifying their products.

(5) A certified professional shall not solicit or accept gratuities, directly or indirectly, from contractors, their agents, or other parties dealing directly with the certified professional's employer or client in connection with the work for which the certified professional is responsible.

(E)

(1) A certified professional shall not pay, solicit, or offer, directly or indirectly, any bribe or commission for professional employment with the exception of payment of the usual commission for securing salaried positions through licensed employment agencies.

(2) A certified professional shall seek professional employment on the basis of qualification and competence for proper accomplishment of the work. A certified professional may submit proposed fee information prior to selection to serve as a certified professional under this chapter and rules adopted under it.

(3) A certified professional shall not falsify or permit misrepresentation of the certified professional's or the certified professional's associates' academic or professional qualifications. The certified professional shall not misrepresent or exaggerate the certified professional's degree of responsibility in or for the subject matter of prior assignments.

(4) Brochures or other presentations incident to the solicitation of employment by a certified professional shall not misrepresent pertinent facts concerning the certified professional's employers, employees, associates, or joint ventures, or the past accomplishments of any of them, with the intent and purpose of enhancing the certified professional's qualifications for the certified professional's work.

(F)

(1) A certified professional shall not sign or seal professional work for which the certified professional does not have personal professional knowledge and direct supervisory control and responsibility.

(2) A certified professional shall not knowingly associate with, or permit the use of the certified professional's own name or the name of the certified professional's firm in, a business venture by any person or firm that the certified professional knows, or has reason to believe, is engaging in business or professional practices of a fraudulent or dishonest nature.

(3) If a certified professional has knowledge or reason to believe that another person or firm has violated any of the provisions of this chapter or any requirement of this section, the certified professional shall present the information to the director in writing.

(G) The director, in accordance with rules adopted under section 3746.04 of the Revised Code, may suspend for a period of not more than five years or permanently revoke a certified professional's certification for a violation of or failure to comply with any requirement or obligation set forth in this section.

Effective Date: 09-28-1994; 09-29-2005