OSPE - The Voice - Winter 2021 - 47

COVER STORY
its owner. With it, you can fully transition to digital in accordance
with the requirements of your professional association.
Counterfeiters at work
Since its beginning, the practice of applying a wet stamp and
handwritten signature to a paper original has been the gold
standard to guaranteeing public safety. However, forgery is not
uncommon. Engineers have seen the image of their seals and
signature copied and pasted on records they have never seen,
and their plans and drawings tampered with without detection.
Document forgery or tampering can have serious consequences.
There is overwhelming evidence of forgery in Canada:
* OSPE - OSPE Member Uncovers Widespread Forgery
* CBC - Forged inspection documents shine light on Ontario's
troubled building department
* CBC - Engineers push 'digital seal' to stop bogus blueprints
* Journal of Commerce - Winnipeg investigates misused
engineer's seal
* Canadian Consulting Engineer - Ontario contractor fined
$5,000 for unauthorized use of professional engineer's seal
Digital signatures: the first step to
protecting yourself
More than 50,000 professionals in Canada have adopted
Notarius' solutions to protect themselves and the integrity of their
documents, and to ensure the legal reliability and compliance of
their professional documents. A digital signature is a secure and
proven technological solution against seal and signature forgery
and document tampering. When a digital signature is affixed
to an electronic document, it gives the document unparalleled
integrity.
Validation and ensuring public protection
Do you really know who signed your document? Validating signed
documents and signatures is not only easy and free, but it is the
only way to ensure the integrity of documents and to confirm
that a professional has the right to practise. By adopting good
digital practices, we speed up our processes and avoid putting
our infrastructure and citizens' security at risk.
Tools made for the engineering industry
In addition to helping protect you against fraud, professionals can
sign from anywhere in the world, any time of day, which prevents
unnecessary project delays. The status quo is more expensive
than transitioning to digital technologies. In its totality, going
digital can represent cost savings of up to 86% and significantly
increase team productivity.2
Money and time can be spent on
other important projects instead of signing processes.
Canadian professionals need to respond to technological
changes in the industry. This is why Notarius' ConsignO Desktop
software allows professionals to authenticate any type of
production data, regardless of the format, including 3D and BIM
formats. Better yet, you can verify multiple documents and sign
in batches to save time, all while ensuring the integrity of your
documents.
To design and deliver work more efficiently than ever before,
adopting new technologies not only makes us more flexible
as professionals, but it is also important in combating climate
change. Digital signatures have a smaller environmental footprint
and reduce paper waste. More and more leading companies are
opting to go paperless.
" [Technology] will improve our industry
for those who are prepared for it. Those
who are not prepared will experience
significant disruptions. I also think
that we will be forced even more to
confront the challenges of protecting
the environment not only due to climate
change itself, but also because of the
adoption of new laws. Meeting these
challenges will require excellence in
both engineering and design. " -
- Jeff DiBattista, engineer and managing partner of the
award-winning North American design practice DIALOG
ON THE WEB
The world is going digital and there has never been a
better time to embrace change. Contact Notarius or visit
www.notarius.com/PEO to learn more about Professional
Engineers of Ontario's digital signature. One of our digital
transformation experts will be glad to support your digital
transformation needs.
1 McKinsey Global Institute, " Jobs lost, jobs gained: What the
future of work will mean for jobs, skills, and wages " on the website
mckinsey.com, 2017 [online], https://www.mckinsey.com/
featured-insights/future-of-work/jobs-lost-jobs-gained-what-thefuture-of-work-will-mean-for-jobs-skills-and-wages#part1
(Page
consulted on August 24, 2021)
2. Source: Industry average and Electronic Signature & Records
Association.
December 2021 THE VOICE
47

http://www.notarius.com/PEO http://www.mckinsey.com https://www.mckinsey.com/

OSPE - The Voice - Winter 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OSPE - The Voice - Winter 2021