Most large enterprises have two unique teams responsible for safety and security, but why?

These may appear the same on the surface, but when it comes to actually protecting employees, they differ considerably and require separate approaches and solutions.

The Differences Between Security and Safety

Security is typically focused on external threats: protecting staff and visitors from violence, abuse, and crime. In addition, they are tasked with keeping property protected from vandalism and damage.

There are different forms of security protocols and procedures that can be implemented and monitored to deter criminal behavior and reduce the risk of harm.

Safety, on the other hand, is focused on internal threats, such as accidents and injuries. While much attention is given to physical concerns, and rightly so, safety includes protection from mental and emotional threats as well. Environment Health and Safety (EHS) Teams are assigned the difficult job of identifying potentially hazardous conditions and implementing measures to minimize the likelihood of serious injury or even death.

Both of these functions play critical roles in providing a comprehensive solution that keeps individuals and property protected.

Communication Challenges

In many circumstances, each of the above teams may have the same or similar tools, but different instances or access. Further complicating this can be differences in infrastructure, such as camera coverage for security and operations.

Even in well organized companies that are streamlined on tools and process, the outcome necessary for each time will be different – thus the type of information gathered and shared may or may not be useful to the other team.

One example of an intersection of Safety and Security is when someone falls. Was it captured live? If so, was it due to a threat, such as a fight between individuals, or a tripping hazard? Who should respond and when?

Further complicating the response is government requirements and regulations, such as those from Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). Top of mind should always be ensuring your organization is protected from legal risk and lawsuits.

This means quick communication and shared information for investigations is critical.

Enabling Proactive Capabilities in Security and Safety

Ambient.ai helps bridge communication gaps by sharing alerts in real time so the proper individuals are engaged immediately.

An Example:

An aerospace company leveraging Ambient was truly excited to finally have a tool to make this engagement happen immediately when it matters.

An employee was leaving for the day and missed seeing a concrete obstacle in their path. They took a nasty fall and were obviously in distress.

The Security Team was notified through Ambient of a “Person Fallen Down”. They shared the context, including immediate visual access, with their EHS counterparts.

EHS had clear direction for the Security Team, asking them to please stop the individual from leaving the property. They needed to contact the employee directly, validate the situation, offer medical assistance, and protect the company from certain liabilities.

Security was able to keep the individual on company grounds until EHS arrived, allowing proper protocol to happen – and successfully avoiding any and all liability issues.

This might not sound like a big deal until you take a look at how fast they were able to work, with the Senior Security Specialist noting the sheer amount of time and complications Ambient.ai saved him and his team.

Normally he would be waiting for an incident report from a bystander, sifting through hours of footage on multiple cameras to find the incident, then adding all content to an official investigation report. Hours, if not days, would be spent on one incident.

With Ambient.ai, he shared the video footage proactively with EHS, and then let protocol take over. Simple, easy, actionable.

The EHS officer was similarly impressed, adding, “We love getting this kind of information immediately, allowing us to respond to something as proactively as possible.”

If cross-communication and proactive emergency responses are top of mind for you, reach out to Sales@Ambient.ai for more information.