@JessTheUnstill Replace many executives with a rubber duck and engineering safety would improve.

See also "Documentation is out of date as soon as it's written, so we don't allow it"

@akareilly @JessTheUnstill This x 10,000.

And it's not just IT or software where engineers are saving the day.

It's also all the situations where bosses say things like...

"Do the pilings *really* need to go all the way down to bedrock?"

"Could we make these concrete slabs a bit thinner?"

"But what if we add an extra couple of floors?"

"What if we replace the part you specified with this (cheaper) one?"

"Can we cut back on the maintenance schedule?"

"Can we put it on the roof?"

"It's just a superficial crack..."

"No-one will notice..."

"Can we just paint over it?"

"We can save some money if..."

"But what's the likelihood it will actually catch on fire?"

@ajsadauskas @JessTheUnstill

"But what's the likelihood it will actually catch on fire?" is one that ties into textile history. Serious content warnings if you read about children's sleepwear regulations.

I regularly tell people not to use acrylic yarn for blankets that will be used without supervision and some answer "Yeah but I'm not holding the kid over a fire and we would just leave a burning house anyway"

I don't wear plastic fibers on planes, even though evacuation goal = 90 sec

@akareilly @ajsadauskas @JessTheUnstill as somebody who has survived a house fire, let us tell you, fire moves so much faster than anyone imagines. none of people's plans for what they're going to do on the way out are going to work.