Failures of Complex Systems

Abstract

This chapter addresses failures in the nuclear power industry (Three Mile Island and Chernobyl), NASA space operations (Challenger and Columbia), and the maritime industry (Exxon Valdez and BP Deepwater Horizon). Multi-level analyses are used to provide comparisons across case studies. It briefly reviews how these industries anticipate and manage failures, and higher-order consequences of these types of failures are discussed. These insights are used to foreshadow later discussions of failure management.