10/31/23, 1:43 PM Safety - Wikipedia

Safety

Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being

protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer
to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an
acceptable level of risk.

Meanings
There are two slightly different meanings of safety. For
example, home safety may indicate a building's ability to
protect against external harm events (such as weather,
home invasion, etc.), or may indicate that its internal
installations (such as appliances, stairs, etc.) are safe (not
dangerous or harmful) for its inhabitants.

Discussions of safety often include mention of related

terms. Security is such a term. With time the definitions
between these two have often become interchanged,
equated, and frequently appear juxtaposed in the same
sentence. Readers are left to conclude whether they
comprise a redundancy. This confuses the uniqueness that Warning signs, such as this one, can
should be reserved for each by itself. When seen as unique, improve safety awareness.
as we intend here, each term will assume its rightful place
in influencing and being influenced by the other.

Safety is the condition of a “steady state” of an organization or

place doing what it is supposed to do. “What it is supposed to do”
is defined in terms of public codes and standards, associated
architectural and engineering designs, corporate vision and
mission statements, and operational plans and personnel
policies. For any organization, place, or function, large or small,
safety is a normative concept. It complies with situation-specific
definitions of what is expected and acceptable.[1]

Using this definition, protection from a home's external threats

and protection from its internal structural and equipment failures
(see Meanings, above) are not two types of safety but rather two
aspects of a home's steady state.
"After whiskey driving risky"
In the world of everyday affairs, not all goes as planned. Some safety road sign in Ladakh, India
entity's steady state is challenged. This is where security science,
which is of more recent date, enters. Drawing from the definition
of safety, then:

Security is the process or means, physical or human, of delaying, preventing, and otherwise
protecting against external or internal, defects, dangers, loss, criminals, and other individuals or
actions that threaten, hinder or destroy an organization’s “steady state,” and deprive it of its
intended purpose for being.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety 1/8
10/31/23, 1:43 PM Safety - Wikipedia

Using this generic definition of safety it is possible to specify

the elements of a security program.[1]

Limitations
Safety can be limited in relation to some guarantee or a
standard of insurance to the quality and unharmful function of
an object or organization. It is used in order to ensure that the
object or organization will do only what it is meant to do.
Platform screen doors are primarily
It is important to realize that safety is relative. Eliminating all used for passenger safety.
risk, if even possible, would be extremely difficult and very
expensive. A safe situation is one where risks of injury or
property damage are low and manageable.

When something is called safe, this usually means that it is safe within certain reasonable limits
and parameters. For example, a medication may be safe, for most people, under most
circumstances, if taken in a certain amount.

A choice motivated by safety may have other, unsafe consequences. For example, frail elderly
people are sometimes moved out of their homes and into hospitals or skilled nursing homes with
the claim that this will improve the person's safety. The safety provided is that daily medications
will be supervised, the person will not need to engage in some potentially risky activities such as
climbing stairs or cooking, and if the person falls down, someone there will be able to help the
person get back up. However, the end result might be decidedly unsafe, including the dangers of
transfer trauma, hospital delirium, elder abuse, hospital-acquired infections, depression, anxiety,
and even a desire to die.[2]

Types
There is a distinction between products that meet standards, that are safe, and that merely feel
safe. The highway safety community uses these terms:

Normative

Normative safety is achieved when a product or design meets applicable standards and practices
for design and construction or manufacture, regardless of the product's actual safety history.

Substantive

Substantive or objective safety occurs when the real-world safety history is favorable, whether or
not standards are met.

Perceived

Perceived or subjective safety refers to the users' level of comfort and perception of risk, without
consideration of standards or safety history. For example, traffic signals are perceived as safe, yet
under some circumstances, they can increase traffic crashes at an intersection. Traffic roundabouts
have a generally favorable safety record[3] yet often make drivers nervous.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety 2/8
10/31/23, 1:43 PM Safety - Wikipedia

Low perceived safety can have costs. For example, after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, many people
chose to drive rather than fly, despite the fact that, even counting terrorist attacks, flying is safer
than driving. Perceived risk discourages people from walking and bicycling for transportation,
enjoyment or exercise, even though the health benefits outweigh the risk of injury.[4]

Security

Also called social safety or public safety, security addresses the risk of harm due to intentional
criminal acts such as assault, burglary or vandalism.

Because of the moral issues involved, security is of higher importance to many people than
substantive safety. For example, a death due to murder is considered worse than a death in a car
crash, even though in many countries, traffic deaths are more common than homicides.

Risks and responses

Safety is generally interpreted as implying a real and significant impact on risk of death, injury or
damage to property. In response to perceived risks many interventions may be proposed with
engineering responses and regulation being two of the most common.

Probably the most common individual response to perceived safety issues is insurance, which
compensates for or provides restitution in the case of damage or loss.

System safety and reliability engineering

System safety and reliability engineering is an engineering discipline. Continuous changes in
technology, environmental regulation and public safety concerns make the analysis of complex
safety-critical systems more and more demanding.

A common fallacy, for example among electrical engineers regarding structure power systems, is
that safety issues can be readily deduced. In fact, safety issues have been discovered one by one,
over more than a century in the case mentioned, in the work of many thousands of practitioners,
and cannot be deduced by a single individual over a few decades. A knowledge of the literature, the
standards and custom in a field is a critical part of safety engineering. A combination of theory and
track record of practices is involved, and track record indicates some of the areas of theory that are
relevant. (In the US, persons with a state license in Professional Engineering in Electrical
Engineering are expected to be competent in this regard, the foregoing notwithstanding, but most
electrical engineers have no need of the license for their work.)

Safety is often seen as one of a group of related disciplines: quality, reliability, availability,
maintainability and safety. (Availability is sometimes not mentioned, on the principle that it is a
simple function of reliability and maintainability.) These issues tend to determine the value of any
work, and deficits in any of these areas are considered to result in a cost, beyond the cost of
addressing the area in the first place; good management is then expected to minimize total cost.

Measures
Safety measures are activities and precautions taken to improve safety, i.e. reduce risk related to
human health. Common safety measures include:

Chemical analysis
Destructive testing of samples
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety 3/8
10/31/23, 1:43 PM Safety - Wikipedia

Drug testing of employees, etc.

Examination of activities by specialists to minimize physical stress or increase productivity
Geological surveys to determine whether land or water sources are polluted, how firm the
ground is at a potential building site, etc.
Government regulation so suppliers know what standards their product is expected to meet.
Industry regulation so suppliers know what level of quality is expected. Industry regulation is
often imposed to avoid potential government regulation.
Instruction manuals explaining how to use a product or perform an activity
Instructional videos demonstrating proper use of products
Root cause analysis to identify causes of a system failure and correct deficiencies.
Internet safety or Online Safety, is protection of the user's safety from cyber threats or
computer crime in general.
Periodic evaluations of employees, departments, etc.
Physical examinations to determine whether a person has a physical condition that would
create a problem.
Process safety management is an analytical tool focused on preventing releases of highly
hazardous chemicals.
Safety margins/Safety factors. For instance, a product rated to never be required to handle
more than 200 pounds might be designed to fail under at least 400 pounds, a safety factor of
two. Higher numbers are used in more sensitive applications such as medical or transit safety.
Self-imposed regulation of various types.
Implementation of standard protocols and procedures so that activities are conducted in a
known way.
Statements of ethics by industry organizations or an individual company so its employees
know what is expected of them.
Stress testing subjects a person or product to stresses in excess of those the person or
product is designed to handle, to determining the "breaking point".
Training of employees, vendors, product users
Visual examination for dangerous situations such as emergency exits blocked because
they are being used as storage areas.
Visual examination for flaws such as cracks, peeling, loose connections.
X-ray analysis to see inside a sealed object such as a weld, a cement wall or an airplane
outer skin.

Standards organizations
A number of standards organizations exist that promulgate safety standards. These may be
voluntary organizations or government agencies. These agencies first define the safety standards,
which they publish in the form of codes. They are also Accreditation Bodies and entitle
independent third parties such as testing and certification agencies to inspect and ensure
compliance to the standards they defined. For instance, the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers (ASME) formulated a certain number of safety standards in its Boiler and Pressure
Vessel Code (BPVC) and accredited TÜV Rheinland to provide certification services to guarantee
product compliance to the defined safety regulations.[5]

United States

American National Standards Institute

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety 4/8
10/31/23, 1:43 PM Safety - Wikipedia

A major American standards organization is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Usually, members of a particular industry will voluntarily form a committee to study safety issues
and propose standards. Those standards are then recommended to ANSI, which reviews and
adopts them. Many government regulations require that products sold or used must comply with a
particular ANSI standard.

Government agencies

Many government agencies set safety standards for matters under their jurisdiction, such as:

the Food and Drug Administration

the Consumer Product Safety Commission
the United States Environmental Protection Agency

Testing laboratories

Product safety testing, for the United States, is largely controlled by the Consumer Product Safety
Commission. In addition, workplace related products come under the jurisdiction of the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which certifies independent testing
companies as Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTL), see.[6]

European Union

Institutions
the European Commission (EC)
the European Committee for Standardization (CEN)
the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
the European Safety Federation (ESF)

Testing laboratories

The European Commission provides the legal framework, but the different Member States may
authorize test laboratories to carry out safety testing.

Other countries

Standards institutions

British Standards Institution

Canadian Standards Association
Deutsches Institut für Normung
International Organization for Standardization
Standards Australia

Testing laboratories

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety 5/8
10/31/23, 1:43 PM Safety - Wikipedia

Many countries have national organizations that have accreditation to test and/or submit test
reports for safety certification. These are typically referred to as a Notified or Competent Body.

See also
Accident – Unforeseen event, often with a negative
outcome
Aircraft – Vehicle or machine that is able to fly by gaining
support from the air
Aviation safety – State in which risks associated with
aviation are at an acceptable level
Aviation accidents and incidents – Aviation occurrence
involving serious injury, death, or destruction of aircraft
Aisles: Safety and regulatory considerations – Architectural
element
American Society of Safety Professionals – Professional A mug reminds the drinker to be
organization
careful.
Arc flash – Heat and light produced during an electrical arc
fault
Safety in Australia
Automobile – Motorized passenger road vehicle
Traffic collision – Incident when a vehicle collides with
another object
Automotive safety – Study and practice to minimize the
occurrence and consequences of motor vehicle
accidents
Road traffic safety – Methods and measures for
reducing the risk of death and injury on roads
Bicycle safety – Safety practices to reduce risk associated
with cycling
Behavior-based safety – System used in industry to reduce
exposure to hazards
Boat – Vessel for transport by water
Boating – Leisure activity involving boats
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – United States
government public health agency CDC
Certified safety professional – Qualified safety personnel
Child – Human between birth and puberty
Child safety seat – Seat designed to protect children
during traffic collisions
Toy safety – Practice of ensuring that toys meet safety
standards
Poison control center – Medical service that provides
over-the-phone advice on poison exposure
Safe Kids Worldwide – Global non-profit organization
working to prevent childhood injury
Consumer product safety – Request to return a product
after the discovery of safety issues or product defects
Door#Door-related accidents – Movable barrier that allows
ingress and egress

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety 6/8
10/31/23, 1:43 PM Safety - Wikipedia

Electrical safety testing – Testing to ensure the compliance of electrical systems with safety
tandards
Explosives safety
Fire safety – Practices to reduce the results of fire
Gun safety – Study and practice of safe operation of firearms
Lists of rail accidents
Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents
Motorcycle safety – Study of the risks and dangers of motorcycling
Patient safety – Prevention, reduction, reporting, and analysis of medical error
Pedestrian safety – Methods and measures for reducing the risk of death and injury on roads
Security company – Type of company
Risk management – Identification, evaluation and control of risks
Sailing ship accidents
Safety engineering – Engineering discipline which assures that engineered systems provide
acceptable levels of safety
Fail-safe – Design feature or practice
Poka-yoke – Process that helps an equipment operator avoid mistakes
Software system safety
Safety statement – Document that outlines how a company manages their health and safety
Security – Degree of resistance to, or protection from, harm
Seismic analysis – Study of the response of buildings and structures to earthquakes
Sports injury – Physical and emotional trauma safety
Occupational safety and health – Field concerned with the safety, health and welfare of people
at work
Criticality accident – Uncontrolled nuclear fission chain reaction
Safety data sheet – Sheet listing work-related hazards
Personal protective equipment – Equipment designed to help protect an individual from
hazards
Work accident – Occurrence during work that leads to physical or mental harm

References
1. Charles G. Oakes, PhD, Blue Ember Technologies, LLC."Safety versus Security in Fire
Protection Planning (http://www.aia.org/practicing/groups/kc/AIAB079791) Archived (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20120313214241/http://www.aia.org/practicing/groups/kc/AIAB079791)
2012-03-13 at the Wayback Machine,"The American Institute of Architects: Knowledge
Communities, May 2009. Retrieved on June 22, 2011.
2. Neumann, Ann (February 2019). "Going to Extremes" (https://harpers.org/archive/2019/02/goin
g-to-extremes-elderly-assisted-suicide-caregivers/). Harper's Magazine. ISSN 0017-789X (http
s://www.worldcat.org/issn/0017-789X). Retrieved 2019-01-22.
3. "Proven Safety Countermeasures: Roundabouts" (http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/provencountermea
sures/fhwa_sa_12_005.htm). Federal Highway Administration. Archived (https://web.archive.or
g/web/20120731004830/http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/provencountermeasures/fhwa_sa_12_005.h
tm) from the original on 2012-07-31. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
4. Jeroen Johan de Hartog; Hanna Boogaard; Hans Nijland; Gerard Hoek (1 August 2010). "Do
the Health Benefits of Cycling Outweigh the Risks?" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/
PMC2920084). Environmental Health Perspectives. 118 (8): 1109–1116.
doi:10.1289/ehp.0901747 (https://doi.org/10.1289%2Fehp.0901747). PMC 2920084 (https://w
ww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2920084). PMID 20587380 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.ni
h.gov/20587380).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety 7/8
10/31/23, 1:43 PM Safety - Wikipedia

5. Rheinland, TÜV. "Pressure Vessel Inspection According to ASME" (http://www.tuv.com/en/corp

orate/business_customers/plants_machinery_1/pressure_equipment_2/asme_1/asme.html).
tuv.com. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170114072952/http://www.tuv.com/en/corpor
ate/business_customers/plants_machinery_1/pressure_equipment_2/asme_1/asme.html) from
the original on 14 January 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
6. "Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) - Occupational Safety and Health
Administration" (https://www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl). www.osha.gov. Archived (https://web.arc
hive.org/web/20180408103253/https://www.osha.gov/dts/otpca/nrtl/) from the original on 8 April
2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.

Further reading
Wildavsky, Aaron; Wildavsky, Adam (2008). "Risk and Safety" (http://www.econlib.org/library/En
c/RiskandSafety.html). In David R. Henderson (ed.). Concise Encyclopedia of Economics
(2nd ed.). Indianapolis: Library of Economics and Liberty. ISBN 978-0865976658.
OCLC 237794267 (https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/237794267).

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Safety&oldid=1180913715"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety 8/8