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> Mismanagement due to incompetency can make its safety risks much higher than the projected risks. I've once asked a networking engineer from Taiwan about the

by brazzy 7y ago

> Mismanagement due to incompetency can make its safety risks much higher than the projected risks. I've once asked a networking engineer from Taiwan about the nuclear protests over the Lungmen Nuclear Power Plant, he said he was against the project, not because he doesn't believe the technology, but that he has no confidence that the government is competent enough to operate it. This is IMO a factor that is talked about far too little. It doesn't matter how safe the technology is in theory, in practice it will be run by people who are fallible, and often incompetent and/or greedy. IMO the latter is an even bigger concern. If you can make a buck by cutting corners and flouting security protocols, someone somewhere will do it.

tempguy9999 7y ago
It's talked about too little because the nuke industry won't, and the guy on the street just wants power as cheap as possible and screw the implications; they don't want to think about it so they won't. To me this political/managerial drawback is the only drawback to nuclear power; the sole and single downside. But it's a killer because of human nature.
- segfaultbuserr 7y ago
  Actually I see issue 1, 2, 4 as more relevant issues on the practicality of nuclear power. But as you want more about human issues, a classic work is Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies by Charles Perrow. The book shows that any complex system is likely to fail due to its inherent complexity, and due to the external social organization. Worth reading. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_Accidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_Accidents
  - tempguy9999 7y ago
    Excellent, will check it out, thank! Actually just looked at the wiki page, that's enough for me to order it today. In return may I offer this absolutely bitchin' tome Safeware by Nancy Leveson https://www.amazon.co.uk/Safeware-System-Safety-Computers-19/dp/0201119722/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Safeware-System-Safety-Computers-19... which I can't recommend enough. It's aimed at a lower level than your book AFAICT (lower level = less about interconnectedness of large systems) but it's a must read.
deleted 7y ago
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by brazzy 7y ago

tempguy9999 7y ago

It's talked about too little because the nuke industry won't, and the guy on the street just wants power as cheap as possible and screw the implications; they don't want to think about it so they won't. To me this political/managerial drawback is the only drawback to nuclear power; the sole and single downside. But it's a killer because of human nature.

segfaultbuserr 7y ago
Actually I see issue 1, 2, 4 as more relevant issues on the practicality of nuclear power. But as you want more about human issues, a classic work is Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies by Charles Perrow. The book shows that any complex system is likely to fail due to its inherent complexity, and due to the external social organization. Worth reading. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_Accidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_Accidents
- tempguy9999 7y ago
  Excellent, will check it out, thank! Actually just looked at the wiki page, that's enough for me to order it today. In return may I offer this absolutely bitchin' tome Safeware by Nancy Leveson https://www.amazon.co.uk/Safeware-System-Safety-Computers-19/dp/0201119722/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Safeware-System-Safety-Computers-19... which I can't recommend enough. It's aimed at a lower level than your book AFAICT (lower level = less about interconnectedness of large systems) but it's a must read.

deleted 7y ago

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