| Books
on Technological
Risks |
|
| 2008 |
|
Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste
Management |
|
edited by Anisur
Rahman, Nuclear Safety Consultants Ltd; February 2008;
Whittles Publishing;
Catalog No. WH7348; ISBN 9781420073486; ISBN-10 1420073486 |
|
Often perceived as
merely the dismantling and demolition of existing facilities, the
decommissioning process includes challenging technical issues. Providing a
detailed understanding of the issues associated with these processes, this
book begins with coverage of radiation, the biological effects of radiation,
radiological protection, and statistical methods. It incorporates the whole
aspect of decommissioning, project management, safety aspects, environmental
impact assessment, decontamination, and dismantling techniques. The last
part discusses radioactive waste management including regulatory aspects,
treatment and conditioning, storage and transportation, and waste disposal.
Also read a news release about this title (PDF
version). (CRC Press expects this
title to be in stock by April 15, 2008.) |
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from Amazon |
|
| 2006 |
| Imaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld |
| by Sharon Weinberger; May 2006; ISBN 1560258497 |
| Written by the editor of Defense Technology International,
this book reveals the battle between leading nuclear physicists and the
Pentagon's top brass over a pet Pentagon weapons project--the development of
an isomer bomb--which was rejected by one of the Pentagon's most important
advisory groups and was repeatedly shelved, even by Congress, yet continued
to generate funding and experiments. Listen to the author's discussion with Terry Gross, host of National Public Radio's
Fresh Air from WHYY. |
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from Amazon |
|
|
| 2005 |
| The E-Bomb:
How America's New Directed Energy Weapons Will Change the Way Future Wars
Will Be Fought |
| by Douglas Beason; October 2005; ISBN
0306814021 |
| A leading expert in directed energy research,
who leads Los Alamos National Laboratory's Threat Reduction Directorate,
describes and defends the development of a new generation of weapons that
discharge light-wave energy. The technology that supplies the same
spectrum of energy found in microwave ovens or television remote control
devices is a revolution in weaponry, perhaps more profound than the atomic
bomb. Although the author concedes that lasers and microwaves are not
without their critics, including leading scientists and military officers,
he believes that addressing people's natural fear of new technology can
dispel their doubts and explains the science in terms that the general
public can understand. |
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from Amazon |
|
| Electronic Irradiation of Foods
: An Introduction to the Technology |
|
by R. B. Miller; June 2005; ISBN 0387237844 |
|
This book is devoted to an examination of the
technologies and practical implementation techniques associated with food
irradiation using accelerator sources of ionizing radiation, specifically
electron beams and x-rays. Introductory chapters summarize the effects of ionizing
radiation on biological organisms and the organic compounds comprising
foods, and gives an overview of the food irradiation process. Subsequent
chapters cover the details of the electron beam and x-ray energy
deposition, electron accelerator technologies, beam scanning systems,
material handling systems, shielding design, and process control
considerations. Important appendices cover radiation dosimetry, induced
radioactivity, and ozone generation. |
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from Amazon |
|
|
Reliability and Risk Models :
Setting Reliability Requirements |
|
by Michael Todinov; June 2005; ISBN 0470094885 |
|
Presenting a radically new approach and
technology for setting reliability requirements, this book also provides
the first comprehensive overview of the M/F-FOP philosophy and its
applications. Each chapter covers probabilistic models, statistical and
numerical procedures, applications and/or case studies. It comprehensively
examines a new methodology for problem solving in the context of real
reliability engineering problems. All models have been implemented in C++.
The algorithms and programming code supplied can be used as a software
toolbox for setting MFFOP. Case studies are taken from the nuclear,
automotive and offshore industry to provide 'real-world' applications. |
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from Amazon |
|
|
Rheology:
Concepts, Methods, and Applications |
|
by Alexander Ya. Malkin and Avraam I. Isayev;
October 15, 2005; ChemTec Publishing; ISBN 189519833X (hardcover) |
|
Designed to be used in university rheology
courses, this handbook explaining rheology in a useful and applicable manner
will also be used by all chemists and chemical engineers in industrial
settings. The few comprehensive books on the subject of rheology--a complex science
dealing with flow and deformation of matter that many scientists need to use but only a few can fully
grasp--are several
years old. The authors' systematic presentation, which strikes the balance
between oversimplification and overload of theory in a compelling and
readable manner, enables all components of rheology to be included in one
volume. |
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from Amazon |
|
|
Synchronizing
Science and
Technology with Human Behaviour |
|
by Ralf Brand; August 2005;
ISBN 1844072479 |
|
Sustainable development has tended to occur on
two diverging paths: one technology-focused, the other favouring
behavioural solutions. This new, practical text links these two paths in a
‘co-evolutionary’ framework, enabling more sustainable policies and
projects to be developed.
Believing that technical and social realms are much more connected than
most people concerned with sustainability tend to admit, the author has
developed an innovative and integrated strategy that encourages people to
‘co-design’ technologies that make socially-desired behaviours more
attractive. Having explained the nature of the problem, the author
outlines key concepts and shared characteristics of co-evolutionary
projects and anticipates possible criticisms. Through detailed analysis
and diverse case studies, the reader is presented with a clear picture of
a more holistic approach to planning sustainable infrastructures, which
will be invaluable for students and professionals alike. |
|
Earthscan/James & James |
|
|
| 2004 |
|
Assessing and Managing Security
Risk in IT Systems: A Structured Methodology |
|
by John McCumber; June
2004; ISBN 0849322324 |
|
This book is written to
push back the advance of security-as-art and supplant it with a structured
methodology that functions independent of technology evolution. The author
outlines a simple yet thorough process to guide readers in the analysis
and mitigation of risks in IT systems. The handbook contains enough detail
to ensure practitioners and policy makers can apply the concepts of the
model. Because it does not delve into technical implications, an in-depth
technical background is not necessary, although all technical people can
work within its structure. This book promises to become the most dog-eared
possession for anyone charged with security in IT systems. |
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from Amazon |
|
|
| 2003 |
|
True Warnings and False Alarms
about Technology, 1948-1971 |
|
by Allan Mazur; February
2003; ISBN 1891853562 |
|
To identify hallmarks that could help predict
the truth or falsity of an alleged hazard, the author analyzes 31 health
warnings raised during the 1950s and 60s about diverse technologies
including fluoridation, DDT, cyclamate, nuclear weapons testing, and birth
control pills. With 30 to 50 years of hindsight, he identifies
characteristics -- apparent from the outset of a controversy -- that most
effectively distinguish between true warnings from false alarms. |
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from Amazon |
|
|
| 2002 |
|
Nuclear Reactions: The Politics of Opening a Radioactive Waste Disposal Site |
|
by Chuck McCutcheon; October 2002; University
of New Mexico Press; ISBN 0826322093 |
|
This book by a journalist with
15 years experience covering energy and environmental issues chronicles
the history of the U.S. Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in
New Mexico, the world's first geologic repository for radioactive
materials. It discusses the perceived risks from nuclear waste
transportation and disposal and how opponents were able to invoke those
fears to delay -- but not entirely stop -- the bureaucratic and
legislative decision-making processes. See the book's Web page at http://www.nuclear-reactions.com/
for more information. |
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from Amazon |
|
|
| 2001 |
|
Risk, Media and Stigma: Understanding Public
Challenges to Modern Science and Technology |
|
edited by James Flynn, Paul Slovic, and Howard
Kunreuther; 2001; ISBN 1853837008 |
|
This volume presents the current and most comprehensive
examination of how and why stigmatization occurs and what the appropriate responses to it are. Stigma can attach to places, such as
transport routes for nuclear waste; to products, such as contaminated food; and to technologies or even whole industries. More theoretical
contributions look at the parts played by government and business, and the crucial role of the media in forming
public attitudes. Stigma is not always misplaced, and the volume discusses the challenges
involved in managing it, and reducing the vulnerability of important products, industries and institutions while providing the public with the
information they need about risks. |
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from Amazon |
|
|
Taking
Technical Risks: How Innovators, Managers, and Investors Manage Risk in
High-Tech Innovations |
|
by Lewis M. Branscomb and Philip E. Auerswald;
February 2001; ISBN 026202490X |
|
This book addresses early-stage, high-tech
innovation in the context of business decision making and innovation
policy. The topics addressed include the extent to which purely technical
risk is separable from market risk; how industrial managers make decisions
on funding early-stage, high-risk technology projects; and under what
circumstances government can and should act to reduce the technical risks
of innovative projects so that firms will invest in them. |
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from Amazon |
|
| |
| 2000 |
|
Membrane Technology in Water and Wastewater Treatment |
| by P. Hillis, Editor; May 2000; ISBN 0854048006 |
| Presenting a useful reference to the current state of membrane technology and its likely future growth, this book covers all aspects of
the technology and its applications in the water industry. Drawing on the experience of international experts, Membrane Technology in
Water and Wastewater Treatment encompasses many practical applications of specific membranes, including MF, UF, NF, RO and
EDR, in the treatment of ground and surface water, backwashwater, seawater, and industrial and domestic wastewater. Novel
applications, process enhancements and the latest systems are also discussed. This book is an excellent guide to membrane technology
and will be of great interest to water companies, industrialists, legislative bodies and anyone with an interest in the technology or its
applications. |
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from Amazon |
|
|
Risk, Media and Stigma: Understanding Public Challenges to Modern Science and Technology (Risk, Society and Policy Series) |
| by James Flynn, Paul Slovic, and Howard Kunreuther,
Editors; July 2000; ISBN 1853837008 |
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|
|
What Every Engineer Should Know About Risk Engineering and
Management |
| by John X. Wang and Marvin L. Roush; Marcel Dekker, Inc., NY; February
2000; ISBN 0824793013 |
| This book explains how to assess and handle technical risk, schedule risk, and cost risk, enabling engineering professionals to anticipate
failures regardless of system complexity. Introduces the concept of risk engineering for controlling technical risk through identification,
analysis, design, and process management, and reveals strategies for identifying flaws in engineering designs, estimating risk, and avoiding
wasting scarce resources. |
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|
| |
| 1999 |
|
Normal
Accidents : Living With High-Risk Technologies |
| by Charles Perrow; September 1999; ISBN 0691004129 |
Normal Accidents analyzes the social side of technological risk. Charles Perrow argues that the conventional engineering approach to ensuring safety--building in more warnings and safeguards--fails because systems complexity makes failures inevitable. He asserts that typical precautions, by adding to complexity, may help create new categories of accidents. (At Chernobyl, tests of a new safety system helped produce the meltdown and subsequent fire.) By recognizing two dimensions of risk--complex versus linear interactions, and tight versus loose coupling--this book provides a powerful framework for analyzing risks and the organizations that insist we run them.
The first edition fulfilled one reviewer's prediction that it "may mark the beginning of accident research." In the new introduction to this edition the author reviews the extensive work on the major accidents of the last 15 years, and the valuable extensions and refinements of his theory.
About the Author: Charles Perrow is Professor of Sociology at Yale University. His other books include The Radical Attack on Business, Organizational Analysis: A Sociological View, Complex Organizations: A Critical Essay, and The AIDS Disaster: The Failure of Organizations in New York and the Nation. |
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from Amazon |
|
|
Beyond
Aviation Human Factors |
|
by Daniel E. Maurino, James Reason, Neil Johnston,
and Rob B. Lee; May 1999; ISBN 1840149485 |
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from Amazon |
|
| |
| 1998 |
|
Acceptable
Risks : Politics, Policy, and Risky Technologies |
|
by C. F. Larry Heimann; February 1998; ISBN 0472108131 |
|
Complex and risky technologies are an engine for economic growth in our society. Nonetheless, these new technologies also pose many problems for political leaders and the policy makers responsible for overseeing them. Public agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration are told by political superiors not to inhibit important technological advances and may even be charged with promoting such development; yet these agencies must also make sure that no major accidents occur under their watch. Given the large costs associated with catastrophic accidents, the general public and elected officials often demand reliable or failure-free management of these technologies and have little tolerance for error. Research in the use of risky technologies has lead to a schism between those who argue that it is possible to have reliable management techniques and safely manage complex technologies and others who contend that such control is difficult at best.
In this book Larry Heimann advances an important solution to this problem by developing a general
theory of organizational reliability and agency decision making. He looks at both external and internal influences on reliability in agency decision making. Heimann then tests theoretical propositions in a comparative case study of two agencies involved with the handling of risky technologies: NASA, with the manned space flight program, and the FDA, with the oversight of pharmaceuticals, particularly new AIDS therapies. Drawing on concepts from engineering, organizational theory, political science, and decision theory, this book will be of interest to those interested in science and technology policy, bureaucratic management and reform as well as those interested in health and space policy. |
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from Amazon |
|
|
Technology
in Context : Technology Assessment for Managers (Management of Technology
and Innovation) |
|
by Ernest Braun; May 1998; ISBN 0415183421 |
|
In this introduction to the theory and methods of technology assessment
used as a tool of strategic management, the author reviews the basic
concepts needed for the successful management of technology and for
conducting technology assessment in the public domain. Other titles
by the author include "Wayward Technology" and "Assessment of Technological Decisions: Case Studies." |
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from Amazon |
|
| |
| 1997 |
|
The
Challenger Launch Decision : Risky Technology, Culture, and Deviance at
Nasa |
| by Diane Vaughan; February 1997 (paperback edition); ISBN 0226851761 |
When the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986, millions of Americans became bound together in a single, historic moment. Many still vividly remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard about the tragedy. In The Challenger Launch Decision, Diane Vaughan recreates the steps leading up to that fateful decision, contradicting conventional interpretations to prove that what occurred at NASA was not skulduggery or misconduct but a disastrous mistake.
Journalists and investigators have historically cited production problems and managerial wrong-doing as the reasons behind the disaster. The Presidential Commission uncovered a flawed decision-making process at the space agency as well, citing a well-documented history of problems with the O-ring and a dramatic last-minute protest by engineers over the Solid Rocket Boosters as evidence of managerial neglect.
Why did NASA managers, who not only had all the information prior to the launch but also were warned against it, decide to proceed? In retelling how the decision unfolded through the eyes of the managers and the engineers, Vaughan uncovers an incremental descent into poor judgment, supported by a culture of high-risk technology. She reveals how and why NASA insiders, when repeatedly faced with evidence that something was wrong, normalized the deviance so that it became acceptable to them.
No safety rules were broken. No single individual was at fault. Instead, the cause of the disaster is a story not of evil but of the banality of organizational life. This powerful work explains why the Challenger tragedy must be reexamined and offers an unexpected warning about the hidden hazards of living in this technological age.
(The hardback edition was published in 1996; the paperback edition was
published in 1997.) |
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from Amazon |
|
|
Managing
the Risks of Organizational Accidents |
| by J. T. Reason; December 1997; ISBN 1840141050 |
This book describes techniques and tools needed to manage
safety risks in complex technological industries such as aviation, chemical
processing, banking and insurance, nuclear energy, and
others. The causes of major accidents and ways to prevent them are
examined. |
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from Amazon |
|
| |
| 1994 |
|
Design
Paradigms : Case Histories of Error and Judgment in Engineering |
| by Henry Petroski; September 1994; ISBN 0521466490 |
| From classical temples to 20th century towers, engineers have learned more about design from failure than from success. By showing how errors were introduced and how they might be avoided, this book suggests how better design quality and reliability may be achieved.
One reviewer wrote "If you care about public safety and want to see any industry progress to a real level of professionalism, read and study this work."
(Follow the link to Amazon's listing for this book to read the full
review.) |
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from Amazon |
|
|
When
Technology Fails : Significant Technological Disasters, Accidents, and
Failures of the Twentieth Century |
| edited by Neil Schlager; January 1994; ISBN 0810389088 |
| This book covers 103 international technological disasters
in 12 fields, including automobiles, nuclear energy, bridges, dams, and
submarines among others. Contributors to the book are experts in
engineering, science, or architecture or are journalists in specialized
fields. |
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from Amazon |
|
| |
| 1992 |
|
To
Engineer Is Human : The Role of Failure in Successful Design |
| by Henry Petroski ; April 1992 (paperback edition); ISBN 0679734163 |
| The moral of this book is that behind every great engineering success is a trail of often ignored (but frequently spectacular) engineering failures. Petroski covers many of the best known examples of well-intentioned but ultimately failed design in action -- the galloping Tacoma Narrows Bridge (which you've probably seen tossing cars willy-nilly in the famous black-and-white footage), the collapse of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel walkways -- and many lesser known but equally informative examples. The line of reasoning Petroski develops in this book were later formalized into his quasi-Darwinian model of technological evolution in The Evolution of Useful Things, but this book is arguably the more illuminating -- and
definitely the more enjoyable -- of these two titles. |
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from Amazon |
|
| |
| 1990 |
|
Human
Error |
| by James Reason; October 1990; ISBN 0521314194 |
In its treatment of major accidents, this study spans the disciplinary gulf between psychological theory and those
concerned with maintaining the reliability of hazardous technologies. |
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from Amazon |
|
|
