Alan Cooper uses an ejector seat analogy in [About Face][1] which is pertinent here:

> Just as a jet fighter needs an ejector seat lever, complex desktop applications need configuration facilities. Applications must have ejector seat levers so that users can occasionally dramatically (sometimes irreversibly) alter the application's function, behaviour, or content. 

> The one thing which must never happen is accidental deployment of the ejector seat. **The interface design must ensure that the user can never inadvertently fire the ejector seat when all he wants to do is make a minor adjustment to the application**.


  [1]: http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118766571.html