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Here's hoping the original poster is still around.

For safety, there are only four rules that count, and I highly recommend you start wiring them into muscle memory. Off the top of my head and in no particular order:

Treat every gun at all times like it's loaded with live ammunition and ready to fire.
Never point the muzzle at anything you do not intend to destroy.
Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire.
Always be sure of your target and what's behind it.

If I missed a rule, please somebody call me out on it.

As far as double action or single action, (and as TAM pointed out), there is really a spectrum. For the purposes of discussion, I have to say long double action triggers are safer than single action - and please don't take that the wrong way. My favorite bar-b-que carry is a 1911, and I have no qualms about chambered, cocked, and locked. A 1911 is perfectly safe, like any gun, when handled properly. I do think a 1911 will highlight (with injuries) bad habits quicker than a double action gun. (Just so I offend everyone equally, I think Glocks require extra care, too.)

No gun is safe when thoughtlessly handled.

The H&K P30 LEM trigger cocks the main hammer spring when the slide cycles, so in a normal firing situation the trigger pull is light, but pulling the trigger still has to draw the hammer back.

The advantage to that setup is you get a light pull, not having to do the full work of cocking the hammer spring, and you still have the long pull of a double action. You can also do a second strike on a balky primer, although the trigger pull without cycling the slide is much heavier.

There is much that goes into the safety of a gun. Holstering is a risk, for example, because if anything catches on the trigger it can discharge the gun.

With an external hammer, you can feel for the hammer rising as you press the gun into the holster, if the gun is double action.

When I holster a cocked-and-locked 1911, I keep my thumb under the thumb safety to ensure nothing pushes it down, turning off the safety. Once the gun is holstered, I'll rotate my hand to put my index finger under the hammer before relaxing the upward pressure of my thumb on the safety.

I always reholster slowly and deliberately, and with specific procedure to make it as impossible as I can for there to be a negligent discharge. There are instructors who would tell me I'm wrong to reholster so carefully. They are welcome to think I'm foolish, I like it when my leg doesn't leak. :-)

Have fun, but safety first and always.