Murphy’s law says that anything that can go wrong will. Learning from
Failure: The Systems Approach by Joyce Fortune and Geoff Peters (John Wiley
& Sons, £19.99, ISBN 0 471 94420 3) provides methodologies to draw
out lessons and prevent failures. Case histories include: the fire at
Manchester Airport (1985); Bhopal pesticide plant (1980); and safety in the
Channel Tunnel. A thought-provoking and useful aid for investigating why
things go wrong.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
A type of fibre that stimulates GLP-1 release approved for use in food
2
What is 'SpudCell'? Arguably the greatest bioengineering feat yet
3
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
4
The 4 must-watch science-fiction films of the year so far
5
Babies are born with the neural foundations for maths
6
The weirdness of neutrinos could completely rewrite particle physics
7
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
8
The best new science-fiction novels published in July 2026
9
We’re not the most successful human species
10
Slowdown of AMOC ocean current may be gradual and reversible



