Security Safeguards
Physical Safeguards
HIPAA Security Rule controls protecting the physical facilities and hardware that hold ePHI.
Physical Safeguards are one of the three categories of protections required by the HIPAA Security Rule. They cover the physical measures that protect facilities, equipment, and media holding ePHI from unauthorized access or environmental hazards.
Examples include facility access controls, workstation security, and policies for the disposal and reuse of hardware and media. In hosting, these largely map to data center controls. They sit alongside Administrative and Technical Safeguards. All three families are compared in our guide to HIPAA safeguards administrative physical technical.