Perrow's Normal Accident Theory: The Architecture of Disaster

The article analyzes the Normal Accident Theory (NAT) by Charles Perrow, which posits that in systems with high interactive complexity and tight coupling, disasters are inevitable. The author argues that accidents are not the result of single human errors, but a product of the system's structure, where minor failures overlap in unpredictable ways. The text challenges the traditional approach to risk management, which often seeks a scapegoat in the operator while ignoring design and organizational flaws. Perrow warns that excessively multiplying safeguards can paradoxically increase system complication, creating new paths for potential failure, making disaster an inherent feature of the architecture of modern technologies.