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"Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety" by Eric Schlosser enumerates accidents related to nuclear weapons, man

"Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety" by Eric Schlosser enumerates accidents related to nuclear weapons, many of which do not end in criticality due to sheer luck in most cases. Illusion of safety indeed. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C5R7F8G/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C5R7F8G/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?...

programd 9y ago
And also "A Review of Criticality Accidents", a short but action packed read referenced in the article. Nuclear materials are deadly in the most unexpected ways. https://www.orau.org/ptp/Library/accidents/la-13638.pdf https://www.orau.org/ptp/Library/accidents/la-13638.pdf
- pinewurst 9y ago
  That's a really good read too.
dekhn 9y ago
I read that book differently. In nearly every case the payload didn't end in criticality because of the design of the weapon. Instead, there were ancillary effects from non-explosions.
- cmiles74 9y ago
  That is true, although I was left with the impression that in many cases it was due to luck. Older weapons with poor safeguards ended up in service far longer than was reasonable and the addition of necessary safeguards was resisted at nearly every level. There were also many stories where a weapon was dropped during loading or caught in a fire, etc., and the general idea seemed to be that it could just have easily ended up in disaster. The story of the Damascus incident, which served as the framing story for the rest of the book, also seems relevant. In that case there were procedures to ensure safety but over time the reasons for these procedures seemed to have been forgotten or the knowledge inadequately passed on to newer team members. Old equipment (like HAZMAT suits) were allowed to get old, rendering them useless. Many people in the administration chain had weak or little knowledge of the facilities... And then there was an accident where a small mistake compounded into pretty scary incident.
pinewurst 9y ago
I didn't care for this book - I felt it was like a bad cookie with a few good chocolate chips. The Titan silo explosion that the book is structured around is more a demonstration of designed nuclear safety than not (and the nuclear part is almost nonexistent). Industrial accidents have been so much worse than this.

programd 9y ago

And also "A Review of Criticality Accidents", a short but action packed read referenced in the article. Nuclear materials are deadly in the most unexpected ways. https://www.orau.org/ptp/Library/accidents/la-13638.pdf https://www.orau.org/ptp/Library/accidents/la-13638.pdf

pinewurst 9y ago
That's a really good read too.

dekhn 9y ago

I read that book differently. In nearly every case the payload didn't end in criticality because of the design of the weapon. Instead, there were ancillary effects from non-explosions.

cmiles74 9y ago
That is true, although I was left with the impression that in many cases it was due to luck. Older weapons with poor safeguards ended up in service far longer than was reasonable and the addition of necessary safeguards was resisted at nearly every level. There were also many stories where a weapon was dropped during loading or caught in a fire, etc., and the general idea seemed to be that it could just have easily ended up in disaster. The story of the Damascus incident, which served as the framing story for the rest of the book, also seems relevant. In that case there were procedures to ensure safety but over time the reasons for these procedures seemed to have been forgotten or the knowledge inadequately passed on to newer team members. Old equipment (like HAZMAT suits) were allowed to get old, rendering them useless. Many people in the administration chain had weak or little knowledge of the facilities... And then there was an accident where a small mistake compounded into pretty scary incident.

pinewurst 9y ago

I didn't care for this book - I felt it was like a bad cookie with a few good chocolate chips. The Titan silo explosion that the book is structured around is more a demonstration of designed nuclear safety than not (and the nuclear part is almost nonexistent). Industrial accidents have been so much worse than this.