Live can be done safely IF you are responsible and knowledgeable, I have fed well over 20000 live preys without any incident so so have countless other people.

A few important points are

Feed an appropriate size prey.

Pre-scent the room by leaving the prey near the enclosure 1 hour prior to feeding.

Make sure the feeder since you buy them is well fed and well hydrated (offer food and water while pre-scenting the room)

Do not stun the feeder.

Do not stress the feeder.

Remove the feeder if uneaten within 10 min.

Generally speaking a well fed well hydrated, stress free feeder will simply fall asleep in a corner if not snatched soon as it is dropped in the enclosure.

There is no such a thing as a rat that will go and attack a snake if the snake ignore it if you do all that, horror stories and pictures always have a back story to them that does not reflect responsible live feeding.