Sabotage investigation

The investigation into the sabotage of Pan Am Flight 103, which left 269 dead, indicated that the explosive used was Semtex H, a plasticized mixture of hexahydro-l,3,5-trinitro-s-triazine and pentaerythritol tetranitrate, and that the amount used was half the quantity that the fledgling technique of Thermal Neutron Analysis (TNA) was designed to detect. Although the placement of the explosive device was fortuitous (from the terrorists point of view) and the suitcase had not been screened by TNA, this event killed the TNA prototype program. 

Disciplinary action may be appropriate if malicious or criminal intent is positively identified as a root cause. An example would be when an investigation reveals horseplay, practical jokes, fights, or even sabotage was among the root causes. These activities have no place in any workplace and are especially undesirable in the chemical processing industry. It is most likely that a company s employee handbook, human resources documents, or union contract addresses these situations and communicates the policy in advance of an incident. In short, the investi-... 

Of course, criminal action, incompetence, or malfeasance warrants discipline. These include sabotage, horseplay, fights, and other acts of malicious intent. Discipline should be addressed by company policies, not the incident investigation. 

On May 6,1938, in an attempt to land at Lakehurst New Jersey, The Hindenburg burst into flames and was destroyed. There were about 60 passengers and crew. Half were lulled and half lived. Investigation at the time indicated a high probability that sabotage was the cause of the fire. Recently NASA investigators attempted to reconstruct how the ship was built. They found that the skin... 

The PDVSA report concludes that the flange cormection between base and the suction flange on the pump was loosened due to sabotage. As part of the investigation, PDVSA personnel injected a 110 psi water supply into the burnt equipment after the fire. They concluded that the gap or area in the lower flange was sufficient to allow a large leak like the one that occmred [12]. 

This was a tragic incident. The politics and passion suirounding this event blur the presentation of facts. Fnrthermoie, I am unsure we have the correct shading of all of the facts in some of the reports. There is at least two different views the immediate primary canse (sabotage or inadeqnate maintenance). It is a shame that there is not an independent board within Veneznela that could bring all of the facts forward like a US Chemical Safety Board or the British HSL. Feel free to check any of the references or other reports to draw yonr own conclusions. To me, the reconunendations of the COENER investigation seem to be comprehensive and credible. 

This is a very incomplete system diagram as it leaves out human control. A complete model or sociotechnical system should include both technical and human aspects (both desired and undesired, e.g. vandalism, sabotage etc.). Only in this way can the mode of operation or breakdown of the whole system be investigated and if necessary redesigned. A useful exercise is to add the human element to the car system above, or to devise a complete sociotechnical systems diagram for a company... 

Still another problem of expanding procurement activities was plant protection. The Federal Bureau of Investigation inspected all War Department and contractors facilities until the spring of 1941, when the function was transferred to the War Department itself On 12 May the Under Secretary of War notified the Chief, CWS, of the change and outlined the activities to be carried out. He "stressed the safety features of plant protection as well as the need for guarding against sabotage and directed that plant protection units be set up in the Office of the Chief and in the procurement districts. In conformity with this directive, the Chief, CWS, activated a plant protection unit in his office in May 1S>41 and instruaed the chiefs of the districts to do likewise. ... 

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