So this maybe kills the joke, which made me laugh. In my personal experience, most engineers are part scientists, and scientists who study engineering are part engineers. I can say that at least a small handful of the scientists I’ve met who study engineering may not really understand why engineers use a specific safety margin for a specific purpose, they understand practically that it’s because no one wants to come close to a things tolerance. Especially when public safety is concerned.

It’s a joke though. It’s hyperbole, and I thought it was funny.