Can’t tell if this is sarcasm.
Because of goal of civil engineering is building man made objects with public safety in mind.
Because of goal of civil engineering is building man made objects with public safety in mind.
You need to know that something is redundantly safe, and which parts.
The factor of safety is above and beyond material variance. You calculate the worst case load combinations for that component, then you check your factor of safety. Civil engineering is relatively conservative in its estimations for everyone's safety.
In my experience serviceability requirements (like reducing uncomfortable deflections that dont threaten the safety of the structure) often govern, rather than the ultimate capacity.