Thesis advisor: Donald Fishman / This paper will study three particular accidents in the nuclear industry: Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and the Fukushima Daiichi plant. These crises will be evaluated through a crisis management framework, using two main accident theories: Normal Accident Theory, and High Reliability Theory. The examination of the crises and the organizations involved will show that no matter how reliable the complex systems are, accidents are inevitable in the nuclear industry. High reliability theory expresses an ideal for complex organizations. While following the theory’s suggestions can limit some problems from occurring, acting as a mindful and reliable organization cannot prevent all disasters. The three cases presented in this paper will show that Normal Accident Theory must be accepted by the nuclear industry. Thus, governments and nuclear power plant operators must be prepared with crisis management plans in order to successfully handle emergency situations and limit damages. The first part of this paper will introduce Normal Accident Theory and High Reliability Theory. Then, after a brief overview of the basics of nuclear power, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima Daiichi will be examined in the theoretical framework, including a discussion of each event’s crisis management techniques. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: College Honors Program. / Discipline: Communication.

Zugleich: Diss. Berlin, 2007. / Literaturverz.

This thesis aims on solving consequences of nuclear accidents in nucler power plants through commercial insurance. First part of this work introduces internationl liability framework for nuclear accidents, which contains international nuclear threaties and work of International Atomic Energy Agency, altogether with work of czech Agency for nuclear security. Next chapters describe nuclear insurance pools, with special focus on american pool American Nuclear Insurers and Czech nuclear insurance pool. Final part of this thesis goes through two big nuclear accidents in Three Mile Island power plant and in Fukushima power plant. Both accidents are described in wide perspective, including solving and financing of consequences from nuclear insurance and from other financial sources available at the time of disaster.

The aim of this study is to compare the cause of the, to date, three onlycommercial nuclear power plant accidents. These are very complex incidents,which have dire impact on society and the environment and therefore benefitfrom further investigation, if there lays a possibility of identifying factors thatcould prevent further accidents in the future. In order to investigate this theactions and decisions that lead up to each nuclear meltdown was identified andcompared.The investigation was based on a qualitative study on three cases of nuclearmeltdown accidents. They are based on text analysis of official reports anddocumentaries on the subject. The theoretical background for this study wasKajtazi’s (2011) work on Information Inadequacy. The study was limited to theevents leading up to the accidents and do not include activities afterwards.The study shows that each case had different underlying reasons. It alsoshows that we seem to have learned something from our previous mistakes, andacted on them accordingly. From the Fukushima Daiichi accident we canrecommend that organizations in charge should take early warnings seriouslyand act upon them as soon as they are presented.