You hear many terms these days – home security systems, child safety measures, fire safety, insurance coverage protection, etc. – all applying to similar concepts, but used in different contexts. Have you ever wondered what’s the difference between them? Don’t they all mean the same thing? Are we splitting hairs in trying to understand?
Well, it all started for me when I explored my needs for Home Security Systems. Do I need a Home Security System? How will my home be protected with such a system? What aspects are protected and how? Will the home be completely safe? To answer these, we should clearly understand the meaning of each of these terms.
SecuritySecurity is a process, activity or measure undertaken, to make sure that someone can’t harm something or someone else. There is an explicit intention by a human behavior to cause harm to someone else, and measures are taken to prevent that. For example, a gate that is supposed to stop an intruder from getting in – is a security measure. Safety
Safety is a condition or a protection measure taken to prevent any occurrence of harm. Here there is no obvious intention from a human behavior to cause harm. Take the same example of the gate above. If it is setup to prevent a child running away to the road, it is a safety measure. Protection
Protection is a state of reduced harm resulting from correctly applied security/safety measures. In the above example, the gate provided the necessary security protection against the intruder and safety protection for the child!
Let us apply these meanings to evaluate the needs for providing home protection through safety measures, security systems, common-sense practices, etc. in our upcoming Sentry blogs.
