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Notes -
I think the framework for civil engineering demonstrates a pretty strong case against this: criminal charges for negligent construction or operation of a business are rare, but they're not unheard of, and fines or suspensions of licenses targeting individuals are fairly common. And civil engineers are very aware that even if things like the Hyatt Regency collapse weren't brought to court, that was as much by the grace of grand jury as by law or norm.
Yet, despite being a difficult and math-heavy field, civil engineering remains a popular career path, and the Sword of Damocles has not frightened away all of the competent or risk-averse candidates. There's certainly some point where a lower standard of proof, or broader concept of liability would, but given that the Hyatt Regency guys weren't tarred and feathered I'd argue we're a little on the too-soft side even recognizing Joint Over- and Under-Diagnosis.
This also isn't really specific to any one field. You have to fuck up really bad to get twenty-five counts of involuntary manslaughter running a food processing plant! But people have done it.
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