Learning from Failures provides techniques to explore the root causes of specific disasters and how we can learn from them. It focuses on a number of well-known case studies, including: the sinking of the Titanic; the BP Texas City incident; the Chernobyl disaster; the NASA Space Shuttle Columbia accident; the Bhopal disaster; and the Concorde accident. This title is an ideal teaching aid, informed by the author's extensive teaching and practical experience and including a list of learning outcomes at the beginning of each chapter, detailed derivation, and many solved examples for mo.

Front Cover; Learning from Failures; Copyright Page; Contents; Acknowledgments; 1 Background of Analytical Methods Used in Investigation of Disasters; 1 Introduction to the Concept of Learning from Failures; 1.1 Introduction; 1.2 Why Learning from Failures?; 1.3 The Background of This Book; 1.4 Who Should Use This Book; 1.5 Introduction to the Concept of Learning from Failures; 1.6 Taxonomy of Theories; 1.6.1 Learning from Case Studies Versus the Narrative Fallacy Concept; 1.6.2 Learning from Hindsight Rewards Versus Risk Aversion; 1.6.3 Specific Versus Generic Lessons. 1.6.4 High Reliability Theory Versus Normal Accidents Theory1.6.5 Reliability Versus Safety; 1.6.6 Concluding Remarks on Theories Related to Learning from Failures; 1.7 Case Studies; 1.7.1 Choice of Case Studies and Research Methodology; 1.7.2 Types of Recommendations; 1.8 Critical Commentary Section; 2 Introduction to Failure Analysis Techniques in Reliability Modeling; 2.1 Introduction; 2.2 FTA and RBD; 2.3 Example: A Storage Tank; 2.4 A Simple Illustrative Application Case (A Car Accident); 3 Introduction to the Analytic Hierarchy Process; 3.1 Introduction. 3.2 An Overview of the Analytical Hierarchy Process3.2.1 Problem Modeling; 3.2.2 Pair-wise Comparisons; 3.2.3 Judgment Scales; 3.2.4 Priorities Derivation; 3.2.5 Consistency; 3.2.6 Sensitivity Analysis; 3.3 Conclusion and Future Developments; 2 A-Z of Disastrous Case Studies; 4 Bhopal Disaster-Learning from Failures and Evaluating Risk; 4.1 Introduction; 4.2 Bhopal Narrative and the Incorporation of FTA and RBD; 4.2.1 Introduction; 4.2.1.1 Background; 4.2.1.2 Installation; 4.2.1.3 Precursors Leading to the Disaster; 4.2.2 Direct Causes of the Accident; 4.3 Theory/Calculation; 4.4 Discussion. 4.5 Concluding Remarks4.6 Critical Commentary Section; 5 BP Deepwater Horizon; 5.1 Case Study Deepwater Horizon; 5.1.1 Background to the Disaster; 5.1.2 Technical Cause of the Failure; 5.1.2.1 Poor Design of Cement Barrier; 5.1.2.2 Mechanical Failure of the BOP; 5.1.2.3 Damage of Control Cables; 5.1.2.4 Fire and Gas System; 5.1.3 Consequences and Severity; 5.1.3.1 Fatalities and Injuries; 5.1.3.2 Environmental Impact; 5.2 Analysis of First Group of Students; 5.2.1 The Technical Reasons; 5.2.2 The Design and Safety Reasons; 5.2.3 Financial and Organizational Factors; 5.2.4 Fault Tree Analysis. 5.2.5 Reliability Block Diagram5.2.6 Recommendations and Reliability Improvement; 5.2.6.1 Technical Recommendations; 5.2.6.2 Management and Financial Recommendations; 5.3 Analysis of Second Group of Students; 5.3.1 Summary of the Technical Cause of the Disaster; 5.3.2 Lessons Learned; 5.4 Analysis of Third Group of Students; 5.4.1 Technical Cause of the Disaster; 5.4.2 Lessons Learned; 5.5 Feedback and Generic Lessons; 5.6 Critical Commentary Section; 6 BP Texas City Disaster; 6.1 What Happened; 6.2 The Process; 6.3 Sequence of Events and Incident; 6.4 Investigation.