Learn English – the correct use of “safety” and “security”

differencesword-choice

I was chatting with three friends this evening, when one of them asked about the use of some english words (we are not native speakers):

What is the difference between "security" and "safety"?

The other answered:

"Safety" is about accidental causes, and "security" is about intentional causes.

Shortly after, some (confusing?) examples were given:

  • It is safe to cross the bridge, it won't break.
  • It is secure to cross the bridge, the dinosaurs aren't looking for food.
  • This bank is secure against thieves.
  • This bridge is safe against flood damage.

Could anyone clarify this for us?

Best Answer

I found a very interesting paper on the differences of safe and secure. Here's the summary:

enter image description here

Although the paper is mainly about these words in the economical context, I think it explains quite clearly the differences in general. If I were to summarize the above table into a single line, I would agree with your friend in that roughly

"Safety" is about accidental causes, and "security" is about intentional causes.

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