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| List of Tables | |
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| List of Figures | |
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| Preface | |
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| Invitation to Our Readers | |
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| Acknowledgments | |
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| Introduction | |
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| Technological Disasters: An Overview | |
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| Dangerous Technologies | |
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| Selected Examples of Technological Disasters | |
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| Causes of Technological Disasters | |
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| Strategies for Prevention | |
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| Who Should be Concerned? | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| References | |
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| Natural and Human-Made Disasters | |
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| Natural Disasters | |
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| Human-Made Disasters | |
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| Comparison of Natural and Human-Made Disasters | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| References | |
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| Endnote | |
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| The Prevalence of Technological Disasters | |
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| The Year 2000 (Y2K) Debacle: An Ironic Failure of Information Technology | |
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| The Overall Impact of Y2K | |
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| Anticipation of the Problem | |
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| The Causes of the Problem | |
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| The Scope of Y2K | |
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| The Costs of Y2K | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| References | |
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| Theories of Technological Disasters | |
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| A Systems Approach to Technological Disasters | |
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| Feedback Mechanisms and the Design of Engineering Systems | |
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| Perrow's Theory of "Normal Accidents" (NAT) | |
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| High Reliability Theory (HRT) | |
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| A Sociotechnical Systems Analysis of Technological Disasters | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| References | |
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| The Root Causes of Technological Disasters | |
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| Technical Design Factors | |
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| Human Factors | |
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| Organizational Systems Factors | |
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| Socio-Cultural Factors | |
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| Terrorism in the Nuclear-Information Age | |
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| Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| References | |
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| Technological Disasters Since the Industrial Revolution | |
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| Three Industrial Revolutions and Beyond | |
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| Three Technological Revolutions | |
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| The First Industrial Revolution | |
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| The Second Industrial Revolution | |
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| The Third Industrial Revolution | |
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| A Fourth Industrial Revolution? | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| References | |
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| Endnotes | |
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| A Matrix of Technological Disasters | |
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| Testing Three Hypotheses about the History of Technological Disasters | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| References | |
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| Endnotes | |
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| Analysis of Case Studies of Technological Disasters | |
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| Twelve Exemplary Case Studies of Technological Disasters | |
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| USS Princeton Explosion | |
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| Titanic Sinking | |
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| Aisgill Train Wreck | |
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| Johnstown Flood | |
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| DC-10 Crash | |
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| Tenerife Runway Collision | |
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| Santa Barbara Oil Spill | |
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| Love Canal Toxic Waste Contamination | |
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| Apollo I Fire | |
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| Three Mile Island | |
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| Challenger Disaster | |
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| Bhopal Poison Gas Release | |
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| Lessons Learned From the Case Studies of Technological Disasters | |
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| Specific Lessons Learned | |
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| General Lessons Learned | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| References | |
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| Strategic Responses to Technological Disasters | |
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| The Responsibilities of Engineers and Scientists | |
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| The Role of Engineering Schools | |
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| The Role of Engineering Societies | |
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| The Role of Science and Scientists | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| References | |
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| The Role of Corporations in the Management of Technological Disasters | |
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| Corporate Management versus Mismanagement | |
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| Case Studies in Crisis Management | |
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| Crisis Management Theory | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| References | |
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| Endnote | |
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| The Role of the Legal System in Technology Policy Decisions | |
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| The Executive Branch | |
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| The Legislative Branch | |
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| The Administrative Branch | |
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| The Judicial Branch | |
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| The Legal Profession | |
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| Relative Effectiveness of U.S. Legal Subsystems in Technology Policy Decisions | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| References | |
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| Assessing the Risks of Technology | |
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| Probabilistic Risk Assessment | |
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| Risk-Cost-Benefit Analysis | |
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| Technology Assessment | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| References | |
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| Technology Decisions and the Democratic Process | |
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| Technocratic versus Democratic Assessments of Risk | |
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| Participatory Technology | |
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| Mechanisms for Citizen Participation | |
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| Toward an Alliance of Citizens' Organizations | |
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| Conclusion | |
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| References | |
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| Name Index | |
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| Subject Index | |