Ken noted that:
<snip>When you enter certain professions, you undertake an oath, a sworn
responsibility to those whom you serve. This oath is a binding obligation
on therapists, physicians, ministers, priests, pastoral counselors,
deacons, psychologists, and psychiatrists. <snip>

A similar oath, with extensive implications for professional and personal
responsibility is also taken by engineering designers certified by
professional engineering institutions. (see, for examples, the codes of
ethics/conduct of IMEchE -reproduced below, ASME, and IEAust). In the
limit, failure to conform with the codes  results in removal of the
individuals' authority to practice.

Wondering if people feel this would help in other design disciplines?

Best wishes,
Terry

Research Fellow
Curtin University
Visiting Fellow
Lancaster University
Conselho Cientifico
UNIDCOM, IADE
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===<snip IMechE Code of Conduct>
Code of Conduct Regulations Pursuant to By-law 33
Amended and approved by the Trustee Board on 11 December 2002
Members are specifically referred to By-law 31, which sets out the core
ethical obligations for all members of the Institution. The following
Regulations are founded on the principles contained within this By-law.
CONDUCT OF CORPORATE AND NON-CORPORATE MEMBERS
CR1. Members shall take reasonable and appropriate steps to inform an
employer, contractor, or client in writing of any conflict between their
personal interest and faithful service to the employer or client.
CR2. Members shall not divulge any confidential information regarding the
business affairs, technical process or financial standing of their clients,
contractors, or employers without their consent.
CR3. Members shall not solicit nor shall they receive any inducement
directly or indirectly on any article or process used in or for the
purposes of the work in respect of which they are employed unless or until
such inducement has been authorised in writing by the employer or client.
Gifts of a relatively trivial nature are not considered to be an inducement.
CR4. Members who become aware, or have reasonable grounds for believing,
that another member is engaged in conduct or has engaged in conduct which
is in breach of the Code of Conduct shall inform the Institution in writing
of that belief.
CR5. Members shall immediately advise the Institution in writing if they
are convicted of a criminal offence or upon becoming bankrupt or
disqualified as a Company Director. Such notification to be addressed to the
Chief Executive of the Institution and delivered in person or by recorded
delivery.
CR6. Members shall exercise due care and consideration for the effects of
their work on the health and safety of individuals and society.
CR7. Members shall only accept and perform work for which they are
qualified and competent to undertake, and shall seek and obtain whatever
advice and assistance that may be required to fully discharge their
responsibilities.
CR8. A member shall not recklessly or maliciously injure or attempt to
injure whether directly or indirectly the reputation, practice, employment
or livelihood of another person.
CR9. Members shall ensure, so far as they are able, that other engineers
receive credit for their professional achievements and receive any
concomitant rewards to which they may be entitled.
CR10. Members shall not knowingly undertake work on behalf of one client or
employer that they may then need to review, authorise or certify on behalf
of a second client or employer.
CR11. Whilst acting for a client or employer, members shall not be at the
same time, directors or substantial shareholders in any company with which
they may have material dealings on behalf of their client or employer,
without divulging the full facts in writing to their client or employer and
obtaining their written consent to such action.
CR12. Members who act as independent experts, conciliators, mediators or
arbitrators shall do so with impartiality, uninfluenced by any personal
considerations.
CR13. Members shall not use information obtained in confidence for the
purpose of making personal profit. Neither shall they use any information
obtained in the course of an assignments for the purpose for personal
profit, if such action is contrary to the aims of the assignment.
CR14. Members shall not divulge, without prior permission, any unpublished
information obtained by them as members of an investigating commission or
advisory board.
CR15. Members whose professional advice, is not accepted shall take
reasonable steps to ensure that the person overruling their advice is aware
of any hazards which the member believes may result from such overruling or
neglect be they of a safety, environmental, quality, operational, or
financial nature.
CR16. Members shall take due account of disaster prevention, mitigation and
recovery methods during the exercise of their responsibilities.
CR17. Members, in recognising the importance of cultural and environmental
factors shall strive to accomplish the objectives of their work with the
most efficient use of natural resources (the Best Practicable
Environmental Option) and endeavour to produce systems which minimise the
consumption of energy, whilst reducing waste and pollution and encouraging
recycling by taking due account of total life-cycle implications of
products and projects in relation to the environment (the Best Available
Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Cost).
CR18. Members shall promote the principles and practices of sustainable
development whilst taking into account the needs of present and future
generations.
CR19. In the event of any conflict between a members' duties to his
superiors and colleagues or his duties to the Institution, the duties to
the Institution shall prevail.
CR20. Members shall co-operate with any reasonable request made by an
Investigating Panel, and or, Disciplinary Board, or an Appeal Hearing for
the purposes of their functions.
===