Safety

The word ‘safety,’ as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, is the state of being protected from or guarded against hurt or injury or freedom from danger. The word can have different meanings depending on the situation in which it is used, or depending on the extent of protection required in said situation. The question arises, “what exactly is safe?” The meaning of the word varies constantly, as new risks and dangers arise every day and with existing perils that cannot be extinguished, a complete state of safety comes across as an idea that is impossible to achieve, as no one can protect themselves or anyone else from a sudden, unexpected event. It is possible to prepare for all different types of situations and reach a very high level of safety and security, but a complete and total state of safety is an impossible feat. With this, the word is often used more in a figurative sense, rather than a literal sense. By using the word figuratively, it gives the word a usable definition, as figurative safety is a feeling that arises with the sense of being protected from or prepared for different types of harm, rather than a state of being protected from or prepared for harm.

               ‘Safety’ is a term that comes about a lot in today’s society, and is often an important issue of discussion and debate. Rules and laws are frequently created to regulate anything from food and drugs, to the manufacturing of products, or anything else that affects the public. These rules and regulations are set forth as precautionary or preventative measures to try to increase safety, but there is nothing that can offer complete security against harm or danger, and thus a true form of the dictionary defined meaning of the word does not exist. Instead of guaranteeing safety, what these rules and laws do is instill a sense of safety in the public or in consumers so that people are not afraid to buy or use things that might be dangerous or unsafe. Though with anything, a certain degree of risk is always existent, as rules can be broken and mistakes are sometimes made, resulting in potentially dangerous things going about unregulated or unnoticed until someone or something is harmed or injured. Safety is an important aspect of everyday life and attempts to increase safety should always be improving, but true safety is something that can never be achieved.