Defining Safety and Security

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Introduction

The concepts of safety and security have a lot in common; on the other hand they have developed with a certain degree of rivalry between them.

Security advocates maintain that the safety people are just a band of old men who are unwilling to learn something new, those advocating for safety retaliate that the security people are youngsters who haven't realized that they are re-inventing the wheel.

Certainly there is a disagreement between the two groups: each has developed its own vocabulary for similar or even identical concepts, which at least produces confusion (Bartnes, 2006).

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However, this essay gives various definitions as developed by these two groups of advocates and come up with basic ideas of the two concepts.

Definitions of safety and security

Maurice et al (2001) defines safety as a state in which hazards and conditions leading to physical, psychological or material harm are controlled in order to preserve the health and wellbeing of individuals and the community. Skavland Ids? and Mejdell Jakobsen (2000) define Safety as the protection against random incidents.

Random incidents are unwanted incidents that happen as a result of one or more coincidences.

International Safety Standard (IEC 61508, IEC61511/ISA 84) define Safety as freedom from unacceptable risk of physical injury or of damage to the health of people, either directly or indirectly as a result of damage to property or to the environment. For instance, to construct a stadium, 'safety' starts with the design, maintenance and integrity of the physical structures so that they do not collapse or catch ?re.

Safety addresses the accommodation issues, management of people going in and out and dealing with behaviors which put people at risk, such as climbing on structures and overcrowding. Safety means being ready to deal with emergencies, including those which may require a full or partial evacuation of the facility (Frosdick & Marsh, 2005).

Safety is the condition of a "steady state" of an organization or place doing what it is supposed to do. 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 (Oakes, 2006).

Security is the function of government as well as the private security companies. The ultimate goal is to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for people as well as their properties for a prolonged time (class notes). However, security as a concept is a contested one.

It has many definitions. In Security According to Buzan: A Comprehensive Security Analysis, security is defined as the pursuit of freedom from threat and the ability of states and societies to maintain their independent identity and their functional integrity against forces of change, which they see as hostile.

The bottom line of security is survival, but it also reasonably includes a substantial of concerns about the conditions of existence. Adam Smith, in the Wealth of Nations, referred to security as the freedom from the prospect of a sudden or violent attack on one's person or property.

Frosdick (2009) defines Security as the measures taken to prevent and deal with danger, that is, the prevention and detection of crimes such as theft, damage or assault; the threat from terrorist bombs or attacks; and the maintenance of public tranquility so that people are not frightened or hurt by disorder.

Similarly, according to Oakes, 2006, security is being defined as 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. But as Skavland Ids? and Mejdell Jakobsen (2000) put it security is protection against intended incidents. Wanted incidents happen due to a result of deliberate and planned act.

Basic ideas of security and safety

Traditions

In simple terms, safety means protection from accidents. It is related to health and well-being of people at work and in other activities. The idea originated from the high-risk industries, including nuclear plants, shipping, offshore operation (oil and gas production) and transportation. The modeling of accidents may cover technological, human and organizational factors. Still, safety focuses principally on the unintended incidents (Kuf?s, 2002).

Security has its roots in theft protection. Today the field covers everything from personal to national security, including financial crime, information protection, burglary and espionage among others. Security relates to those problems where people act deliberately to gain profit or, for some reason, create harm. Consequently, financial business, the trading sector and the national defense have the longest traditions of security work (Kuf?s, 2002).

Hazards/threats

Safety is protection against hazards, while security is protection against threats. Within the field of safety, hazards represent a risk for human health and lives, environment, production and material objects. For instance, an injury or damage develops when the uncontrolled energy hits the human body, environment or material assets, due to mechanical failures, human failures and influence from the environment.

Threats within the field of security can always be tracked down to humans. Incidents are a result of a person or groups will. The threats within security can be divided into external and inside threats (Kjell?n, 2000).

Causes

Security incidents are results of planned action, that is, acting in way in order to achieve a wanted outcome, for instance, money. On the other hand, safety accidents are unplanned (no one plans to cut his finger in a sewing machine).

The security incidents are mainly malicious and criminal acts. Safety accidents are seldom, if ever, malicious, but they can be criminal as they often are violations against regulations (Ids? & Jakobsen, 2000)

Conclusion

According to the above definitions, attitudes towards safety and security vary, and different priorities are set. Although, safety focuses more on unintentional events, security focuses on intentional malicious behavior, but they are both about the protection of people and properties from threats or hazards.

Coordination of security and safety management is possible and that both policy-makers and practitioners understand them both, apply them both and maintain an equitable balance between them.