Counteracting the Cultural Causes of Disaster

This 1999 article from Andrew Hopkins talks about the cultural factors that helped to incubate the 1994 Moura mine disaster in Australia. He starts by saying that Turner’s work demonstrated that “all socio-technical disasters involve an information or communication failure of some kind, in that they are preceded by a series of `discrepant events’ which… Continue reading Counteracting the Cultural Causes of Disaster

Fukushima was a disaster “Made in Japan” according to the independent commission

Gotta love these really poetic parts of major accident inquiries… This from the Fukushima independent commission:“What must be admitted – very painfully – is that this was a disaster “Made in Japan.” AND “Its fundamental causes are to be found in the ingrained conventions of Japanese culture: our reflexive obedience; our reluctance to question authority;… Continue reading Fukushima was a disaster “Made in Japan” according to the independent commission