In the case of a safety device for charging and/or discharging batteries, having a switch which can be tripped by a fault current and having a connecting cable, provision is made for the switch (1) to be arranged in immediate proximity to one battery pole (2) and to be trippable by a fault current flowing via the connecting cable (3) to the location of the short-circuit between the charging device (3) or load and the battery (4). <IMAGE>
