Safety

Safety

Safety is the degree of protection of persons or assets against risk.

Types of safety

The word safety is used in two different meanings:

• Safety as a encompassing concept referring to all types of threats, including security threats;
• Safety as a complement to security, including all types of threats except security threats.

In this wiki, we will use the term primarily in its second meaning. In this meaning, security includes the threat types of natural threats, human failure, technical failure and failure of critical services.

Differences between safety and security

The distinction between safety and security therefore lies solely in the type of threat that is at the source of the risk. While security concerns risk due to human intent, safety concerns all other risk. This means that whether a measure is a measure is a security measure or a safety measure, depends on the type of risk it is meant to mitigate. A reinforced window for example can be either:

• When installed to prevent harm coming to the inhabitants coming from a gas tank accidently exploding, it would be a safety measure.
• When installed to protect the inhabitants from terrorist explosions, it would be a security measure.

A measure can also serve as a security and a safety measure at the same time. An example can be found in a door: the fire-delaying properties of the door might serve as a safety measure while the fact that is locked for unauthorised entry is a security measure.

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