Fukushima no. 1 nuclear power plant: The moment of “safety myth” collapses

Abstract

This study examines the conversations and actions of the operators and managers of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) on March 11, 2011, when Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant (1F) suffered a “severe accident” due to the Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. Using the archives from TEPCO’s videoconference system, we conducted a network and content analysis of discussions and steps that were taken on the cutting edge of organizational crises. Staff members at the various sites (1F operators and managers, as well as employees at Headquarters and the Offsite Center) used different vocabulary, which meant they could not build a shared organizational reality of the ongoing crisis.