Risk Management in a Dynamic Society

Despite the best of engineering practices which include a focus on reliability, human factors and quality improvement, spectacular failures of complex technological systems occur regularly: bridges collapse, chemical plants catch fire and explode, airplanes crash and nuclear reactors melt down. Various theories have been proposed to explain this behavior. At two extremes are Normal Accident Theory which claims accidents are inevitable in highly complex and tightly coupled systems, and High Reliability Theory according to which such failures can be avoided by organizations that use appropriate management processes. This course describes these theories, highlights the limits of traditional event-chain models of causation in preventing disasters, and suggests that the safety of large sociotechnical systems can be enhanced using systems thinking and practice. The course comprises the following: (a) seminars that present and integrate the various theoretical approaches to understanding engineering accidents; (b) a demonstration of these concepts using case studies drawn from a range of industries and organizations; and (c) individual and/or group presentations by students analyzing specific disasters