Be Safe, On- And Offline

Is cybersecurity now as important as health and safety?

 

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is observed annually by the International Labour Organization (ILO), with an international campaign to promote safe, healthy and decent work. How does cybersecurity factor into it? It doesn’t, at least not yet. The World Day for Safety and Health at Work has typically focused on ‘occupational accidents and diseases’, with recent themes focusing on safety and health culture (2015) and workplace stress (2016).

But, it could be argued, cybersecurity awareness should factor in as part of this day – officially or otherwise.

“Cybersecurity is now a global issue, affecting companies of all sizes and every employee, at all levels of a business,” says Carey van Vlaanderen, CEO of ESET South Africa. “The time is now for enterprises to see this issue as an important consideration when it comes to health and safety.”

In fact, in today’s connected era – where the Internet of Things (IoT) enables everything from smart fridges to connected pacemakers – it could be argued that security and safety now go hand-in-hand. “We need to reverse the trend to connect everything to the internet,” said computer security guru Bruce Schneier in  New York Magazine. “And if we risk harm and even death, we need to think twice about what we connect and what we deliberately leave uncomputerised.”

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