Safety and Security

From Securipedia
Revision as of 12:24, 17 December 2012 by Albert (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search


Safety and Security

This is a page explaining the use of the Vitruv tools

Safety and security are two concepts that both indicate the level of protection against risk.

Description

Although safety and security are terms that describe a state, they can also be used to describe a form of protection (the actions or measures taken to improve that state).

Distinction between safety and security

A hard hat, a typical safety measure against accidents
Locks, a typical security measure against wilful acts

The distinction between safety and security lies in the type of threat that is at the source of the risk. While security concerns risk due to human intent (wilful harmful acts), safety concerns all other risk. This means that whether 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 both:

  • When installed to prevent harm coming to the inhabitants coming from a gas tank accidentally 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 it is protecting against unauthorised entry is a security measure.

Entry points for safety and security

MAP

<websiteFrame> website=http://securipedia.eu/cool/index.php?concept=Safety and Security width=100% border=0 scroll=auto align=middle </websiteFrame> <headertabs/>