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What is the definition of safety?
Safety is a state in which hazards and conditions leading to physical, psychological or material harm are controlled in order to preserve the health and well-being of individuals and the community.
What is the definition of safety and protection?
According to Dictionary.com, protection is defined as ‘preservation from injury or harm.’ Safety is defined as the ‘freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger, or loss.’ Protection is a step to be taken, something that carries the connotation of responsibility. Safety is a state in which to reside.
What is the need for safety?
Safety is one of our basic, evolutionary needs. Most of our decisions and actions are based on sustaining or improving our circumstances. While we may not be in constant danger like early man, we are no less driven by the need for safety for us and our loved ones.
This drive is carried over into user and consumer behavior. For this reason, products must not only be sold to us with strong indications that they will protect us from potential threats, but they must back these claims up with clear evidence that they do, in fact, offer some protection and/or ‘shelter’, too.
Let’s see how it works, and how to tap into this in our own designs. The picture above shows Google’s implementation of emergency information details about a mobile phone’s user, which can be accessed directly from paramedics or passers-by, bypassing the lock screen of a device, in case of an emergency.
- When we use products, no matter what they are, we want to feel safe and secure, and the example above is a useful addition to the mobile device functionality, which is squarely aimed at this human need.
- Accessing this information from the lock screen requires five steps (clicks) so that someone must really spend the time to do that, minimizing the chances that this personal information can be seen by a prying third party with a short glance.
If we are concerned that our details might be swapped around between various groups like a game of pass the parcel, we will feel nervous and uneasy using the service or product. For example, consider the checkout procedure on any trustworthy eCommerce website.
- If the user was told their details would automatically be placed into the hands of some unknown third party, the alarm bells would start ringing in our minds.
- Designers must ensure users feel comfortable and safe, confident that they will come to no harm physically, psychologically or financially, by interacting with the products.
The need for safety was acknowledged as a basic human need by Abraham Maslow in his ‘ Hierarchy of Needs ‘. Safety needs represent the second tier in Maslow’s hierarchy and these needs include the security of body, of employment, of resources, of morality of family, and of health.
What is safety knowledge?
Occupational Health and Safety Knowledge Applies knowledge of occupational health and safety principles, techniques and practices to biomedical research activities, and to identifying and controlling physical, chemical, biological and animal hazards.
Reviews accident reports to determine the likely causes of personal injuries. Recommends actions to minimize the risks associated with biomedical research. Conducts investigations of personal injuries, illnesses and property damage to determine potential causes. Conducts surveys of laboratories, patient care areas, animal care facilities and other work areas to identify potential hazards. Develops and recommends measures to eliminate and control hazards and risks associated with biomedical research. Identifies regulated hazards and refers to appropriate workgroup for surveillance. Collaborates with researchers to ensure that hazards have been controlled.
: Occupational Health and Safety Knowledge
