Safety and Security

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Safety and Security

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

Distiction between safety and security

A hard hat,a typical safety measure against accidents
Locks, a typical security measures 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, 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.

Entry points for safety and security

Security in the urban environment

Security concerns harm done by persons by wilful action. As these actions are generally prohibited by law, these actions constitute crimes. Security threats can therefore be classified by crime type. Further threats to urban security are intentional threats, such as urban terrorism, organized crime and cyber attacks). Disasters, such as man made disasters (e.g. technical failure and industrial accidents), and natural hazard events (e.g. flooding, storms, earthquakes etc.) also pose security threats to urban environments.

Footnotes and references

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