I can remember seeing the localiser aerials at very close quarters on 4 engined jets at certain hot and/or high airfields when starting a long flight.
Certainly, the Trident was never considered 'inherently dangerous' by those who flew it, quite the contrary.
While all that is certainly true, 'modern' airliners have, by design, higher power-to-weight ratios and more thermodynamic power in reserve than any of the first generation big jets. This was done to provide more operational flexibility in a range of weight/altitude/temperature situations and made today's aircraft inherently safer as well. The VC-10 was perhaps the first example of such an airplane.
The much improved safety record of modern-day jets and turboprops certainly owes some of this benefit to more installed power.