Engineering Catastrophies: Causes and Effects of Major Accidents

There is much to be gained from the study of catastrophes. Likewise the records of accidents in industry and transport are of great importance, not only for indicating trends in the incidence of loss or casualties, but also as a measure of human behavior.The third edition of this well received book places emphasis on the human factor, with the first two chapters providing a method of analyzing the records of accident and all-cause mortality rates to show their relationship with levels of economic development and growth rates, and to make suggestions as to the ways in which such processes may be linked. Later chapters examine the effects of technological change on safety, the technical background behind failures, and the effects of natural catastrophes. Case histories throughout the book show how human frailty, the unexpected weakness of materials, or a combination of both can lead to dire and tragic circumstances.Probing the core factors underlying some of the most notorious catastrophes in recent history, Engineering Catastrophes: Causes and Effects of Major Accidents, Third Edition offers critical hindsight to help current and future engineers avoid repeating past mistakes.