Software engineering conducted as physical engineering

Software engineering conducted as physical engineering?

Many engineering disciplines are subject to very high levels of quality because, if something should break, lives may be lost. For example: a bridge, a house, a train.

A couple of questions to start with:

• Should software engineering be treated the same as other forms of engineering?
• Will this ever be even possible?
• What types of application should be subjected to these stringent rules?

Perhaps it is necessary and sensible to break the type of software which should be subjected to the principles applied to physical engineering?
For example:

• software in which errors would possibly cause the loss of life, sometimes called "mission critical"
• software for the "casual" user whose life would not be endangered by errors (other than a loss of temper perhaps)
• software in which errors would not lead to the loss of life but could cause severe havoc in the lives of many people, for example, financial transactions