safety nets
Catches the fallen
Safety nets are mesh barriers designed to catch falling people or objects, used on construction sites and in circus acts.
The term extends figuratively to any system that protects against catastrophic loss—government programs like unemployment insurance and food stamps are commonly called safety nets because they prevent people from falling into destitution.
Without a financial safety net, one medical emergency could bankrupt the family.
- fallbackAlternative if primary fails
- fall back onUse as reserve option
- guardrailsProtective edge barriers
- food stampsSubsidized grocery purchasing vouchers
- precautionsAdvance protective measures
income replacement · social security · backup · insurance · universal basic income · poverty alleviation · tightrope · high wire act · welfare · buffers · trapeze · contingency · unemployment benefits · pension schemes · circus · risk management · financial cushion · rainy day fund
- safeguardsprotections, kill switch, defenses, emergency stop, shields
- safety equipmentlife jacket, lifeboat, smoke alarms, smoke alarm, life raft
- safety measureshandwashing, backup plan, fire prevention, fire drills, escape route
- support systemsfamily, friends, therapy, counseling, mentors
- maritime safetylife rafts, lifebuoys, lifesaving equipment, flares, lifelines
- workplace safetyPPE, goggles, trip hazard, slip hazard, masks
safety netsfree fall
Unimpeded gravitational descent
exposure · vulnerability · hard landing · sink or swim · hazards
safety netslaissez-faire
Noninterference in commerce
rugged individualism · survival of the fittest · social Darwinism · every man for himself · bootstrapping
safety netshigh-wire act
Performance on elevated cable
all or nothing · high stakes · gambling · recklessness · daring
safe, net, safety, unsafe, safeguard, safely, nets, netting, netted