2 cissp ® Official Study Guide Eighth Edition

Environment and Life Safety
An important aspect of physical access control and maintaining the security of a facility is 
protecting the basic elements of the environment and protecting human life. In all circum-
stances and under all conditions, the most important aspect of security is protecting people. 
Thus, preventing harm to people is the most important goal for all security solutions.

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Chapter 10 
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Physical Security Requirements
Part of maintaining safety for personnel is maintaining the basic environment of a facility. 
For short periods of time, people can survive without water, food, air conditioning, and 
power. But in some cases, the loss of these elements can have disastrous results, or they can 
be symptoms of more immediate and dangerous problems. Flooding, fires, release of toxic 
materials, and natural disasters all threaten human life as well as the stability of a facility. 
Physical security procedures should focus on protecting human life and then on restoring 
the safety of the environment and restoring the utilities necessary for the IT infrastructure 
to function.
People should always be your top priority. Only after personnel are safe can you con-
sider addressing business continuity. Many organizations adopt occupant emergency plans 
(OEPs) to guide and assist with sustaining personnel safety in the wake of a disaster. The 
OEP provides guidance on how to minimize threats to life, prevent injury, manage duress, 
handle travel, provide for safety monitoring, and protect property from damage due to a 
destructive physical event. The OEP does not address IT issues or business continuity, just 
personnel and general property. The business continuity plan (BCP) and disaster recovery 
plan (DRP) address IT and business continuity and recovery issues.