‘One in infinity’: failing to learn from accidents and implications for nuclear safety in India

Abstract

Safe operation of nuclear power facilities requires a culture of learning, but Indian nuclear authorities appear to continuously fail to learn the lessons of accidents including at facilities they operate. This paper examines how nuclear authorities in India responded to the Fukushima accidents and a previous accident at one of India’s nuclear power plants, and infers what they seem to have learned from them. By evaluating this experience in light of a wide body of research on factors promoting reliability and safety in organizations managing complex and hazardous systems, it seeks to draw lessons about the prospects for nuclear safety in India.