Prevention measures: safety & security
In cooperation with various sectors, the government takes preventive measures to minimise risks. There are two types of preventive measures:
- Protective measures (safety): all preventive measures to protect places, institutions or persons, for example fire safety standards or conditions for flood prone buildings.
- Security measures (security): all preventive measures taken to secure places, institutions or persons, e.g. threat analyses.
Control and monitoring of compliance with measures
In the first place, the operators or owners are responsible for the safety of their business or territory. They draw up an internal safety policy, take adequate preventive measures in accordance with the risks, and also ensure the protection of their employees and/or the security of the site.
Various government agencies are responsible for monitoring compliance with these preventive measures. Think for example of a labour inspection at work.
For sectors with higher risks, there are often specific bodies responsible for supervising safety, such as the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) or Infrabel/NMBS for rail safety.