Limits of safety: Organizations, accidents, and nuclear weapons
Conference
·
OSTI ID:549192
- Stanford Univ., CT (United States)
Three conditions produce severe limits on the safety and reliability of organizations that manage nuclear weapons. First, because the organizations are highly complex, adding redundant safety devices often produces hidden common-mode failures. Second, because they are tightly-coupled, when one system fails others quickly also fail. Third, because the organizational members have parochial interests, learning from accidents and near-accidents is constrained. My research has uncovered a number of previously unknown near-accidents with U.S. nuclear weapons. New states developing nuclear forces are likely to experience even greater risks of nuclear weapons accidents.
- OSTI ID:
- 549192
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950264-; TRN: 95:006094-0100
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting and science innovation exposition, Atlanta, GA (United States), 16-21 Feb 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of 1995 AAAS annual meeting and science innovation exposition: Unity in diversity; Strauss, M.S. [ed.]; Heasley, C.; PB: 337 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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