The present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for enhancing the safety of a secondary battery. The apparatus include a sensor part comprising a first sensor attached to the surface of a cell of the secondary battery to detect a movement of the cell, and a second sensor to detect a movement of a pack housing; a memory part for storing a critical value for a difference between a first measurement value obtained from the first sensor and a second measurement value obtained from the second sensor; and a controlling part for calculating a difference value between the first measurement value and the second measurement value and comparing the calculated difference value with the critical value stored in the memory part to stop the operation of the cell when the calculated difference value is greater than the critical value.