Well, as I've said, generally speaking, I don't personally like SIs to change existing rules (and that comes from IROs).
Either way, I don't see this as a shift, because every time I've seen this SI used, it's not done to shift the responsibility, but rather, to avoid lots of "frivilous" protests. If there are real safety issues (such as, NO PFD being worn, kids not checking in ashore at the end of each day), the RC will protest and make sure the message gets across. I've really not witnessed "safety inspections" other than for distance races (NE 100).
Most of the high-end PROs that I know don't really worry about this stuff too much, because they feel that personal safety is handled by RRS 4.
The last thing any PRO wants to do is to affect the outcome of an event. If the sailors don't want to follow certain rules, and/or don't want to protest over certain rules, smart PROs ignore it. If they have a personal issue with the rules that are being broken, they decline the event in the future.
