Safety is a word that has many connotations, of risk ofa possible
accident that is acceptable conjuring up different meanings to different
to one person- may not be acceptable to an- people. What is safety? A
scientist views safety other. This may be one reason why skydiving as a
consideration in the design of an exper- and mountain climbing are
sports that are not iment. A manufacturing plant engineer looks as
popular as are, say, boating or skiing. on safety as one of the
necessary factors in But even activities that have high levels of
developing a manufacturing process. A legis- potential risk can be
engaged in safely. How lator is likely to see safety as an important
part can we minimize risks so that they decrease of an environmental
law. A governmental ad- to acceptable levels? We can do this by iden-
ministrator may consider various safety issues tifying sources of
hazards and by assessing the when reviewing the environmental conse-
risks of accidents inherent to these hazards. quences of a proposed
project. An attorney Most hazards that are faced in the laboratory may
base a negligence suit on safety defects.