English term
opposite
"Quite the opposite goes for the measures of incident detection and management: The means provided for the detection and reporting of incidents may or may not involve automatic activation of safety systems, ensure sufficient surveillance and control, and involve outside help from the fire brigade, rescue services, the police and the like."
http://www.eurotestmobility.com/eurotest.php?itemno=435&lang...
Does "opposite" mean that the measures may not complement each other?
But the article also says in different pages that "The safety measures of the individual categories may complement or compensate each other as is the case with the measures for detecting and controlling incidents http://www.eurotestmobility.com/eurotest.php?itemno=436&lang...
I'm so confused.
Non-PRO (1): Tony M
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Responses
Incident control and management measures, unlike preventive measures, are not independent
This is a section of a text on tunnel safety. It is entitled "Knock-out criteria". It begins with a short paragraph which distinguishes between preventive measures (to prevent emergencies from happening) and measures which serve to cope with emergencies (when they happen).
Then comes the paragraph that concerns us:
"The safety measures of the individual categories may complement or compensate each other, or they may be more or less independent as, for example, in the area of preventive measures. Quite the opposite goes for the measures of incident detection and management: The means provided for the detection and reporting of incidents may or may not involve automatic activation of safety systems, ensure sufficient surveillance and control, and involve outside help from the fire brigade, rescue services, the police and the like. The highest level of interrelation exists within and between the escape & rescue routes and ventilation categories."
I must admit that this is initially confusing. It says that safety measures may be complementary or they may be independent. These are opposite alternatives, as explained in the previous paragraph. Then it says that the opposite goes for incident detection and management. How can you have the opposite of what are already opposites?
The answer must be that "The opposite goes for incident detection and management" means the opposite of what is true for preventive measures. At the end of the previous sentence, it says that preventive safety measures may be more or less independent. Then it says that the opposite goes for incident detection and management measures. So it means that the latter are not independent; they complement and compensate for each other.
The confusion arises from poor drafting. It would have been immediately clear if they had separated the statement on preventive measures from the rest of the first sentence, like this:
"The safety measures of the individual categories may complement or compensate each other, or they may be more or less independent. In the area of preventive measures, for example, they are more or less independent. Quite the opposite goes for the measures of incident detection and management.
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Note added at 4 hrs (2013-07-23 07:00:46 GMT)
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I forgot to add that the other sentence you have quoted, from elsewhere in the text confirms this: it says that safety measures for detecting and controlling incidents may complement and compensate each other. So the preventive measures are independent and the detection and control measures are complementary.
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Note added at 1 day6 hrs (2013-07-24 09:06:00 GMT) Post-grading
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You're welcome! Glad to be able to help.
| Thank you for your clear explanation. At first I thought the sentence means that the measures of incident detection and management may not complement or compensate each other, and may not more or less independent. That is why I confused. But I'm now totally clear because of your explanation. Thank you! |
Discussion
Usually, I would understand 'the opposite goes for...' as meaning something along the lines of 'the reverse is true...'; so we might say "The hare is an animal that can run fast; the opposite goes for the tortoise."