Published 1989
| Version v1
Book
Normal accidents
Description
The author has chosen numerous concrete examples to illustrate the hazardousness inherent in high-risk technologies. Starting with the TMI reactor accident in 1979, he shows that it is not only the nuclear energy sector that bears the risk of 'normal accidents', but also quite a number of other technologies and industrial sectors, or research fields. The author refers to the petrochemical industry, shipping, air traffic, large dams, mining activities, and genetic engineering, showing that due to the complexity of the systems and their manifold, rapidly interacting processes, accidents happen that cannot be thoroughly calculated, and hence are unavoidable. (orig./HP)
Abstract (German)
Der Autor bietet in anschaulicher Weise anhand einer Fuelle von Beispielen eine Theorie der Anfaelligkeit grosstechnischer Systeme. Ausgehend vom TMI-Reaktorunfall (1979) kommt es ihm darauf an nachzuweisen, dass nicht nur im Bereich der Kernenergie jederzeit 'normale Katastrophen' zu erwarten sind. Deshalb diskutiert er auch Petrochemie, Schiffahrt, Flugsicherung, Staudaemme, Bergwerke und Gentechnologie. Jede Katastrophe ist nach Ansicht des Autors ein erzwungener Fehler, d.h. die unabdingbare Konsequenz dessen, dass in hochkomplexen technischen Systemen eine Vielfalt eng gekoppelter und schneller Prozesse auftritt, deren Interaktion vorab nicht zu kalkulieren ist. (orig./HP)Additional details
Additional titles
- Subtitle (English)
- Living with high-risk technologies
- Original title (German)
- Normale Katastropen
- Original subtitle (German)
- Die unvermeidbaren Risiken der Grosstechnik.
Publishing Information
- Publisher
- Campus Verl.
- Imprint Place
- Frankfurt am Main (Germany, F.R.)
- ISBN
- 3-593-34125-5
- Imprint Pagination
- 447 p.
- Journal Volume
- 1028
- Series
- Reihe Campus.
INIS
- Country of Publication
- Germany
- Country of Input or Organization
- Germany
- INIS RN
- 20049812
- Subject category
- S99: GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS; S21: SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS;
- Resource subtype / Literary indicator
- Translation
- Descriptors DEI
- ACCIDENTS; AIRCRAFT; CHEMICAL INDUSTRY; DAMS; GENETICS; INDUSTRIAL PLANTS; INDUSTRY; MINES; NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS; NUCLEAR WEAPONS; PETROCHEMISTRY; RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES; REACTOR ACCIDENTS; RISK ASSESSMENT; SAFETY; SHIPS; SOCIOLOGY; SPACE FLIGHT; TECHNOLOGY IMPACTS; THREE MILE ISLAND-2 REACTOR
- Descriptors DEC
- BIOLOGY; CHEMISTRY; ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS; NUCLEAR FACILITIES; POWER PLANTS; POWER REACTORS; PWR TYPE REACTORS; REACTORS; THERMAL POWER PLANTS; THERMAL REACTORS; UNDERGROUND FACILITIES; WATER COOLED REACTORS; WATER MODERATED REACTORS
Optional Information
- Notes
- Translated from English. Originally published by Basic Books, New York (USA), 1984.