Remembering Chernobyl
Today marks the 20 year anniversary of the nuclear reactor core meltdown in Chernobyl, Ukraine. Among the various reports memorializing the event, one of the stories aired by National Public Radio hit me hard. It noted how short cuts in the nuclear reactor’s construction process resulted in the failure to build an interior containment structure around the reactor’s core. Without containment a melt down of the core could leak outside the reactor, causing death and contaminating the environment. Tragically, that’s exactly what happened.
In contrast, when a similar accident occurred at the nuclear power plant in Three Mile Island in Pennsylvannia, the proper containment prevented the loss of life and kept the hazardous fallout from causing collateral damage. Having the proper infrastructure in place made all the difference in the world.
In reflecting on these two accidents it occurred to me that the Chernobyl shortcuts represented more than a building code violation or breach of best practices. It illustrated the value of compliance.
When a business, for example, has an infrastructure in place to facilitate legal mindfulness it promotes better decision making and helps contain mistakes before they can escalate into lawsuits or unflattering front page news. It keeps a bad situation from getting worse. It contains it and defuses it.
How good is your company’s ”containment” practices? What kind of program is in place and how will it stand up to a meltdown?
For ideas on how to create a better infrastructure see The Business Guide to Legal Literacy: What Every Manager Should Know About the Law.