Hostages of Each Other (Paperback, New edition)

The near meltdown in 1979 at Three Mile Island, America, plunged the nuclear power industry into a crisis of confidence that threatened its very existence. This work analyzes how the industry managed to stabilize itself through a complete transformation in the safety standards, operation and management of nuclear facilities in America. After describing the poor quality of safety before disaster shook the industry into action, the book documents the emergence of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) and reveals how this industry organization became a major force behind improvements in nuclear safety. In his account of INPO's beginnings and its functions, the author shows how, contrary to conventional wisdom, industry self-regulation can be remarkably effective. For Rees, what happened for the nuclear power industry suggests a new form of regulation - communitarian regulation - that has important implications for the role of private and public control of other key industries.