Some of the major industrial disasters could have been prevented. When the facts of what happened are established, their stories share a common thread: before things spiralled out of control, there were workers at the affected sites who knew that the situation was dangerous, and could become catastrophic unless immediate action was taken. But tragically, nobody dared to tell the decision-makers who could have authorized that action. With no idea of the risks they were taking, the people in charge continued as normal... and disaster struck. Because vital information about risks could not flow freely from the shop floor to the director’s office, the crucial decisions were not made in time. This observation has been documented in the following major technological accidents: Challenger space shuttle explosion (USA, 1986); Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster (USSR, 1986); Deepwater Horizon oil spill (USA, 2010); Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant disaster (Japan, 2011); and numerous other industrial disasters. After accidents like these, losses and costs for dealing with the consequences are often hundreds — or even thousands — of times greater than the finances that would have been required to deal with the risks when they were first recognized. This handbook is about how to transform the way large critical infrastructure companies communicate about safety and technological risks. It aims to support senior managers to get the information they need from their subordinates concerning the risks they are facing, in order to prevent accidents before it is too late. The recommendations in this handbook are based on interviews with 100 executives at various levels, working in 65 critical infrastructure companies around the world, in power, oil and gas, metals, chemicals and petrochemicals, mining and other industries. The recommendations of these leaders were also tested in the pilot project, in an industrial company which is the world leader in its sector. More than 400 managers at various levels of the corporate hierarchy, and employees at several of the company’s industrial plants, took part in the project. This open access handbook is written for the owners, senior managers, and industrial safety directors of critical infrastructure companies.
After a major disaster, when investigators are piecing together the story of what happened, a striking fact often emerges: before disaster struck, some people in the organization involved were aware of dangerous conditions that had the potential to escalate to a critical level. But for a variety of reasons, this crucial information did not reach decision-makers. So, the organization moved ever closer to catastrophe, effectively unaware of the possible threat—despite the fact that some of its employees could see it coming. What is the problem with communication about risk in an organization, and why does this problem exist? What stops people in organizations or project teams from freely reporting and discussing critical risks? This book seeks to answer these questions, starting from a deep analysis of 20 disasters where the concealment of risks played a major part. These case studies are drawn from around the world and span a range of industries: civil nuclear power, coal, oil and gas production, hydropower energy, metals and mining, space exploration, transport, finance, retail manufacturing and even the response of governments to wars, famines and epidemics. Together, case studies give an insight into why people hesitate to report risks—and even when they do, why their superiors often prefer to ignore the news. The book reviews existing research on the challenges of voice and silence in organizations. This helps to explain more generally why people dread passing on bad news to others—and why in the workplace they prefer to keep quiet about unpleasant facts or potential risks when they are talking to superiors and colleagues. The discussion section of the book includes important examples of concealment within the Chinese state hierarchy as well as by leading epidemiologists and governments in the West during the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan in 2019-2020. The full picture of the very early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic remains unclear, and further research is obviously needed to better understand what motivated some municipal, provincial and national officials in China as well as Western counterparts to obfuscate facts in their internal communications about many issues associated with the outbreak.
CYBER-PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS Gather detailed knowledge and insights into cyber-physical systems behaviors from a cutting-edge reference written by leading voices in the field In Cyber-Physical Distributed Systems: Modeling, Reliability Analysis and Applications, distinguished researchers and authors Drs. Huadong Mo, Giovanni Sansavini, and Min Xie deliver a detailed exploration of the modeling and reliability analysis of cyber physical systems through applications in infrastructure and energy and power systems. The book focuses on the integrated modeling of systems that bring together physical and cyber elements and analyzing their stochastic behaviors and reliability with a view to controlling and managing them. The book offers a comprehensive treatment on the aging process and corresponding online maintenance, network degradation, and cyber-attacks occurring in cyber-physical systems. The authors include many illustrative examples and case studies based on real-world systems and offer readers a rich set of references for further research and study. Cyber-Physical Distributed Systems covers recent advances in combinatorial models and algorithms for cyber-physical systems modeling and analysis. The book also includes: A general introduction to traditional physical/cyber systems, and the challenges, research trends, and opportunities for real cyber-physical systems applications that general readers will find interesting and useful Discussions of general modeling, assessment, verification, and optimization of industrial cyber-physical systems Explorations of stability analysis and enhancement of cyber-physical systems, including the integration of physical systems and open communication networks A detailed treatment of a system-of-systems framework for the reliability analysis and optimal maintenance of distributed systems with aging components Perfect for undergraduate and graduate students in computer science, electrical engineering, cyber security, industrial and system engineering departments, Cyber-Physical Distributed Systems will also earn a place on the bookshelves of students taking courses related to reliability, risk and control engineering from a system perspective. Reliability, safety and industrial control professionals will also benefit greatly from this book.
CYBER-PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS Gather detailed knowledge and insights into cyber-physical systems behaviors from a cutting-edge reference written by leading voices in the field In Cyber-Physical Distributed Systems: Modeling, Reliability Analysis and Applications, distinguished researchers and authors Drs. Huadong Mo, Giovanni Sansavini, and Min Xie deliver a detailed exploration of the modeling and reliability analysis of cyber physical systems through applications in infrastructure and energy and power systems. The book focuses on the integrated modeling of systems that bring together physical and cyber elements and analyzing their stochastic behaviors and reliability with a view to controlling and managing them. The book offers a comprehensive treatment on the aging process and corresponding online maintenance, network degradation, and cyber-attacks occurring in cyber-physical systems. The authors include many illustrative examples and case studies based on real-world systems and offer readers a rich set of references for further research and study. Cyber-Physical Distributed Systems covers recent advances in combinatorial models and algorithms for cyber-physical systems modeling and analysis. The book also includes: A general introduction to traditional physical/cyber systems, and the challenges, research trends, and opportunities for real cyber-physical systems applications that general readers will find interesting and useful Discussions of general modeling, assessment, verification, and optimization of industrial cyber-physical systems Explorations of stability analysis and enhancement of cyber-physical systems, including the integration of physical systems and open communication networks A detailed treatment of a system-of-systems framework for the reliability analysis and optimal maintenance of distributed systems with aging components Perfect for undergraduate and graduate students in computer science, electrical engineering, cyber security, industrial and system engineering departments, Cyber-Physical Distributed Systems will also earn a place on the bookshelves of students taking courses related to reliability, risk and control engineering from a system perspective. Reliability, safety and industrial control professionals will also benefit greatly from this book.
After a major disaster, when investigators are piecing together the story of what happened, a striking fact often emerges: before disaster struck, some people in the organization involved were aware of dangerous conditions that had the potential to escalate to a critical level. But for a variety of reasons, this crucial information did not reach decision-makers. So, the organization moved ever closer to catastrophe, effectively unaware of the possible threat—despite the fact that some of its employees could see it coming. What is the problem with communication about risk in an organization, and why does this problem exist? What stops people in organizations or project teams from freely reporting and discussing critical risks? This book seeks to answer these questions, starting from a deep analysis of 20 disasters where the concealment of risks played a major part. These case studies are drawn from around the world and span a range of industries: civil nuclear power, coal, oil and gas production, hydropower energy, metals and mining, space exploration, transport, finance, retail manufacturing and even the response of governments to wars, famines and epidemics. Together, case studies give an insight into why people hesitate to report risks—and even when they do, why their superiors often prefer to ignore the news. The book reviews existing research on the challenges of voice and silence in organizations. This helps to explain more generally why people dread passing on bad news to others—and why in the workplace they prefer to keep quiet about unpleasant facts or potential risks when they are talking to superiors and colleagues. The discussion section of the book includes important examples of concealment within the Chinese state hierarchy as well as by leading epidemiologists and governments in the West during the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan in 2019-2020. The full picture of the very early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic remains unclear, and further research is obviously needed to better understand what motivated some municipal, provincial and national officials in China as well as Western counterparts to obfuscate facts in their internal communications about many issues associated with the outbreak.
Some of the major industrial disasters could have been prevented. When the facts of what happened are established, their stories share a common thread: before things spiralled out of control, there were workers at the affected sites who knew that the situation was dangerous, and could become catastrophic unless immediate action was taken. But tragically, nobody dared to tell the decision-makers who could have authorized that action. With no idea of the risks they were taking, the people in charge continued as normal... and disaster struck. Because vital information about risks could not flow freely from the shop floor to the director’s office, the crucial decisions were not made in time. This observation has been documented in the following major technological accidents: Challenger space shuttle explosion (USA, 1986); Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster (USSR, 1986); Deepwater Horizon oil spill (USA, 2010); Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant disaster (Japan, 2011); and numerous other industrial disasters. After accidents like these, losses and costs for dealing with the consequences are often hundreds — or even thousands — of times greater than the finances that would have been required to deal with the risks when they were first recognized. This handbook is about how to transform the way large critical infrastructure companies communicate about safety and technological risks. It aims to support senior managers to get the information they need from their subordinates concerning the risks they are facing, in order to prevent accidents before it is too late. The recommendations in this handbook are based on interviews with 100 executives at various levels, working in 65 critical infrastructure companies around the world, in power, oil and gas, metals, chemicals and petrochemicals, mining and other industries. The recommendations of these leaders were also tested in the pilot project, in an industrial company which is the world leader in its sector. More than 400 managers at various levels of the corporate hierarchy, and employees at several of the company’s industrial plants, took part in the project. This open access handbook is written for the owners, senior managers, and industrial safety directors of critical infrastructure companies.
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