While the AK ergonimics are very different from US guns, you have to remember when and where it was made. The AK is designed to be held by the left hand on the handguards while everything else is done with the right hand.
The reason for this is simple, while you're doing anything other than firing, you finger isn't on the trigger.
Remember who this gun was desinged for. I'm not knocking the Russian people, but at the time peasant conscripts weren't exactly used to working with technology and mechanical things. Most had never seen a truck, tank, tractor, telephone, etc. So it's not really a bad idea for the design to incoporate a "fail-safe" safety of not having your finger near the trigger unless you're ready to shoot.
Remember that the M14 rifle (similar time frame) was taught to do everything with your right hand as well. Mag changes, charging, everything was done with the right hand. It had a much better safety system IMO, but the US Army/USMC taught right handed ops with the M14.
Nowdays with everything having to be "tactical" somehow there has to be workarounds for all these "design deficiencies". You get all sorts of "tactical" advice on how you're supposed to change your M14 mag with your left, you're supposed to do this, that and the other thing because it's the "tactical" way to do it, design be damned.
Quite frankly, I've pretty much gone to the Soviet method of right-handed ops with the AK and it works fine. I guess I'm not TC ("Tactically correct"), but it's the way it's desinged and it works fine that way.
Not knocking anyone's method, I just think that often we get to ingrossed in applying some type of thought process that just doesn't need to be there. The AK safety isn't designed to be swept off and used in the blink of an eye. I'd use it if I'm boarding a vehcile, aircraft, boat, etc. I'd use it for most other tasked that involved my two hands. I wouldn't bother using it patrolling. Just leave it off and use your brain. If you come across something you need to do (like climb a wall, etc) then you can snap the safety on, do your thing, and take the safety off and move on.
Ross