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Risks in Technological Systems

By: Ake Holmgren (Editor), Torbjorn Thedeen (Editor), Per Jacobsson (Editor), Goran Grimvall (Editor)

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Hardcover | 3 November 2009

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Hardcover
360 Pages

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23.5 x 15.5 x 2.54

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$169.00

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"Risks in Technological Systems" is an interdisciplinary university textbook and a book for the educated reader on the risks of today's society. In order to understand and analyze risks associated with the engineering systems on which modern society relies, other concerns have to be addressed, besides technical aspects. In contrast to many academic textbooks dealing with technological risks, this book has a unique interdisciplinary character that presents technological risks in their own context.

Twenty-four scientists have come together to present their views on risks in technological systems. Their scientific disciplines cover not only engineering, economics and medicine, but also history, psychology, literature and philosophy. Taken together these contributions provide a broad, but accurate, interdisciplinary introduction to a field of increasing global interest, as well as rich opportunities to achieve in-depth knowledge of the subject.

Industry Reviews

From the reviews:

"It provides a balanced descriptive analysis, with chapters covering, among other topics, a history of technological risks; infrastructure systems, e.g., buildings and bridges; and risks associated with transportation systems, energy, chemicals, radiation, and information technology. ... it is a thoughtful, insightful reflection on risks, risk analysis, and management. Its breadth ensures that both beginners and specialists will be interested ... . Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals; general audiences." (S. A. Batterman, Choice, Vol. 47 (11), August, 2010)

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Paperback

Published: 14th March 2012

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Introduction: the Global Risk Arena, Technological Systems and This Book	p. 1
Technological Risk-driving Forces	p. 1
Technology and Three Kinds of Risk	p. 4
The Philosophy of the Book	p. 4
Technological Risks with Which This Book Is Not Concerned	p. 5
The Readership	p. 5
References	p. 6
Reflections on Risks and Technology	p. 7
Risks and Technology	p. 7
What Is a Risk?	p. 8
History of Risk Research	p. 9
What Is an Acceptable Risk?	p. 10
Society's Reaction to Risks	p. 12
Risks in the Public Debate	p. 15
References	p. 17
Risks in the Past and Present	p. 19
Background	p. 19
The Problem	p. 20
The Historical Perspective	p. 21
Changing Society	p. 21
Assessment and Prevention of Risks	p. 23
Risks in Traditional Society	p. 23
Wan	p. 24
Homicide and Manslaughter	p. 24
Contagious Disease	p. 25
Transport and Communication	p. 26
Fire	p. 29
Natural Catastrophes	p. 31
Fatal Accidents in the Past and the Present	p. 31
Acknowledgments	p. 33
References	p. 33
The Dangerous Steam Engine	p. 35
Safety Devices	p. 35
Early Accidents in the Home Country of the Steam Engine	p. 37
Simultaneous Development in the USA	p. 38
Nuclear Engineering-Steam Technology at the Crossroads	p. 40
Other Examples of Historical Safety Measures	p. 42
Dramatic Accidents and Slowly Acting Dangers	p. 42
The Falun Mine	p. 42
The Otis Elevator	p. 42
Sundry Safety Equipment	p. 43
Concluding Remarks	p. 44
References	p. 44
Risks and Safety in Building Structures	p. 47
Introduction	p. 47
Structures Are Degraded by Use and by the Environment	p. 47
Commonly Occurring Loads	p. 47
The Environment	p. 48
Use	p. 48
Nature Reclaims	p. 49
Violent Natural Loads	p. 49
The Richter Scale for Earthquakes-an Empirical Scale	p. 50
How Does a Design Engineer Think?	p. 51
Human Errors	p. 54
We Are All Humans	p. 54
Quality	p. 54
Control	p. 54
Learning Through Accidents	p. 55
The Learning Tower of Pisa	p. 55
The Getå Accident - the Worst Train Accident in Sweden	p. 56
The Worst Building Accident Due to a Structural Fault in Modem Times a Combination of Errors	p. 57
What Has Been Learned About the Risk of Gas Explosions?	p. 59
Loads Due to Terrorism	p. 60
Do Not Always Trust Beautiful Computer Calculations	p. 61
Bridges Which Collapse-Learning from History	p. 63
Bridges Which Shake Down. The Engineer Must Also Learn from History	p. 63
Fatigue Failure and Other Phenomena in Metallic Materials	p. 64
The Designer's Nightmare-the Unforeseen Load	p. 65
Safety Regulations Within the Building Sector	p. 66
Concluding Remarks	p. 67
References	p. 67
Risks in the Conversion of Energy	p. 69
Introduction	p. 69
Energy Concepts	p. 69
The World's Energy Supply	p. 70
Energy Systems and Energy Use	p. 71
Examples of National Energy Balances	p. 72
Risks in Energy Systems	p. 73
Methods for the Evaluation of Risks in the Conversion of Energy	p. 74
Examples of Risks in Energy Conversion	p. 74
Disaster Risks	p. 74
Risks During Normal Operation	p. 79
Evaluation and Comparison of the Risks Associated with Energy Conversion	p. 81
Energy Today and in the Future	p. 82
References	p. 83
Chemical and Physical Health Risks-Chemicals, Radiation, and Noise	p. 85
Environment, Technology, and Health	p. 85
How Do We Know What Is Harmful	p. 86
Tests of Functions and Other Tests	p. 87
Epidemiology	p. 87
Statistics of Injuries	p. 88
Data on Exposure and Uptake in the Body	p. 88
Examination of Materials and Equipment	p. 89
Assessment of Chemical Health Risks in the Environment	p. 89
Chemical Health Risks in the Environment and in the Work Environment	p. 89
Uptake of Xenobiotics in the Body	p. 90
What Are the Chemical Effects on the Body?	p. 90
Chemical Health Risks of Current Interest	p. 91
Health Effects of Fine Particles	p. 92
Nanoparticles	p. 94
Air Quality Standards of Fine Particles	p. 95
Diesel Exhaust	p. 96
Indoor Environment Causing Ill-health	p. 97
Limit Values	p. 98
Physical Risk Factors	p. 99
Radiation	p. 99
The Influence of Radiation on the Body	p. 101
The Chernobyl Accident	p. 102
Non-ionizing Radiation	p. 104
Limit Values for Radiation	p. 106
Noise	p. 106
Influence of Noise on Health and Well-being	p. 107
Limit Values for Noise	p. 108
Environment and Health in a Holistic Perspective	p. 108
References	p. 109
Safety Factors and Exposure Limits	p. 113
Numerical Decision Tools	p. 113
Safety Factors	p. 113
What Do Safety Factors Protect Against?	p. 116
Exposure Limits	p. 117
Dose-response Relationships	p. 117
Collective Dose Limits	p. 120
Remaining Uncertainties	p. 120
References	p. 122
How dangerous Is It to Travel?	p. 123
Introduction	p. 123
Risks Associated with the Road Traffic System	p. 125
Risks Associated with Rail Travel	p. 127
How Safe Is Rail Travel?	p. 127
What Are Possible Causes of Accidents?	p. 128
Safety Has Improved	p. 128
Risks Associated with Aviation	p. 130
Aircraft Accidents	p. 130
Surprised by Automation at Gottrtöra	p. 130
Überlingen Midair Collision	p. 133
What Is Being Done to Improve Flight Safety?	p. 133
Risks Associated with the Sea	p. 135
From Daredevil Enterprise to Safe Cruising Traffic	p. 135
Accident Statistics	p. 136
Authorities and International Organizations	p. 137
Regulation for the Safety of Ships	p. 138
The Estonia Accident and Its Consequences for the Future Safety at Sea	p. 139
A Few Reflections on Survival Equipment and Attitudes	p. 140
References	p. 141
IT-Risks and Security	p. 143
Computers and IT Systems	p. 143
Computer-related Risks	p. 144
Where Do We Find Computers and Related Risks?	p. 147
In What Ways Can a Computer Fail?	p. 149
Why Do IT Systems Typically Fail?	p. 150
Deliberate Attacks on IT Systems	p. 152
Counter-measures Against IT-related Risks and Failures	p. 154
Where Are We Heading?	p. 157
Literature and Other Sources of Information	p. 159
References	p. 160
Vulnerability of Infrastructures	p. 161
Introduction	p. 161
Critical Infrastructures	p. 161
Examples of Infrastructure Collapses	p. 163
The Vulnerability Concept	p. 165
The Nature of Infrastructures	p. 166
Threats Against Infrastructures	p. 168
Approaches to Vulnerability Analysis	p. 168
Practical Examples	p. 169
Vulnerability Analysis of Electric Power Systems	p. 169
Vulnerability Analysis of Road Transportation Systems	p. 171
Control and Management	p. 173
References	p. 173
Risk Management	p. 175
Introduction	p. 175
Overview of Risk Management	p. 75
Risk Management and the Risk Analysis Process	p. 179
Risk Management Strategies	p. 381
Risk Acceptability (Tolerability) and Risk Reduction (ALARP)	p. 184
The Cautionary and Precautionary Principles	p. 188
Process Plant Safety-A Case Study	p. 190
Introduction	p. 190
Risk Assessment	p. 191
Summary of the Risk Picture	p. 194
Discussion	p. 195
References	p. 197
Risk Analysis	p. 199
Introduction	p. 199
Risk and Decision	p. 200
General Principles of Risk Analysis	p. 203
Systems Definition and Identification of Threats and Hazards	p. 203
Risk Estimation	p. 205
Risk Analysis Methods	p. 209
Introductory Remarks on Risk Analysis Methods	p. 209
Risk Analysis of a Fuel-cell-driven Electric Vehicle	p. 209
Risk Analysis of the Spillway in a Hydropower Dam	p. 212
Markov Modeling of a Simple Parallel System	p. 214
More on Qualitative Risk Analysis	p. 216
Practical Aspects of a Risk Analysis	p. 217
Conducting a Risk Analysis	p. 217
Quality Requirements on Risk Analyses	p. 218
Risk Analysis Standards	p. 219
The Role of Risk Analysis in the Risk Management Process	p. 220
The Future of Risk Analysis	p. 222
References	p. 223
Fire and Explosion	p. 225
Introduction	p. 225
Fire Development	p. 225
Factors that Affects the Enclosure Fire Development	p. 227
Explosions	p. 228
Introduction	p. 228
Different Types of Explosions	p. 228
Limits of Flammability	p. 230
Ignition Sources	p. 231
Fire Risk Identification	p. 231
Fire Risk Analysis	p. 232
Introduction to Fire Risk Analysis Methods	p. 232
Ranking Methods	p. 232
Quantitative Fire Risk Analysis Methods	p. 233
Models for the Calculation of Consequences	p. 234
Risk Reduction	p. 240
Introduction	p. 240
Fire Risks	p. 240
Explosion Risks	p. 241
References	p. 243
The Human factor?	p. 245
Two Accidents	p. 245
The Concept of Human Factors - How Is It Used?	p. 248
What Is Human?	p. 250
Technical Errors - Human Errors	p. 252
Vulnerable Professional Groups	p. 253
Final Remarks	p. 254
References	p. 254
The Perception of Risks of Technology	p. 255
Introduction	p. 255
Objective Risk and Risk Perception	p. 255
Factors in Risk Perception	p. 257
Emotions and Risk Perception	p. 261
Background Variables of Importance for Risk Perception	p. 262
Risk Perception in a Social and Political Perspective	p. 265
Consequences of Risk Perception	p. 267
Risk Communication: The Case of Nuclear Waste	p. 268
References	p. 271
The Value of a Life	p. 275
Introduction	p. 275
Risk Valuation and Socio-economic Efficiency	p. 276
Some Important Concepts	p. 277
The Economic Assessment Problem	p. 279
Ethical Aspects of Economic Risk Assessment	p. 280
Economic Assessment Methods	p. 281
The Production-loss Approach	p. 282
The Willingness-to-pay Approach	p. 283
A More Balanced Approach to the Valuation of Life	p. 286
The Size of the Initial Risk	p. 286
The Risk Distribution	p. 287
To Feel Safe-to Be Safe	p. 287
Large Accidents (Catastrophes) or Small	p. 287
Risks for Oneself and Others	p. 288
Statistical Lives or Remaining Lifetime	p. 288
Quality-adjusted Life Years (QALY)	p. 289
Concluding Remarks	p. 290
References	p. 290
Tacit Knowledge and Risks	p. 293
Problems of Knowledge and Risks	p. 293
Confronting the Unforeseen	p. 294
Art as a Source of Knowledge	p. 296
Three Kinds of Knowledge in Practice	p. 297
Philosophy and Engineering	p. 297
"The Tacit Knowledge of the Working Hand"	p. 298
Personal Responsibility	p. 299
The Transfer of Experience of Driving a Car	p. 301
Reflection-When Different Instruments Play Together	p. 301
Dealing with the Unexpected	p. 303
References	p. 303
How to Worry in Moderation	p. 305
The Golden Mean of Knowledge	p. 305
The Benefit of Knowledge	p. 306
The Expansion of Knowledge	p. 307
The Explosion of Knowledge	p. 308
The Miraculous Fruits of Knowledge	p. 310
The Communication of Knowledge	p. 311
The Lack of Knowledge and Information Overflow	p. 313
Knowledge and Reflection	p. 317
Some Basic Concepts of Statistics	p. 319
Introduction	p. 319
Models	p. 319
Probability	p. 320
Independent Events	p. 321
Conditional Probabilities and Bayes' Theorem	p. 322
Discrete Random Variables	p. 323
Continuous Random Variables	p. 325
The Normal Distribution	p. 325
Statistical Inference	p. 326
References	p. 327
Study Help	p. 329
Introduction	p. 329
Exercises	p. 329
Editors and Contributors	p. 333
Editors	p. 333
Contributors	p. 334
Index	p. 337
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Risks in Technological Systems

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

Other Editions and Formats

Paperback

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