Emergency-response systems for hazardous technological emergencies are gen erally comprised of a number of organizations with varying degrees of control over information and resources. The implementation of such systems and the need for coordination impose various conflicts on decision makers and re sponse personnel. Using the example of nuclear power plant accidents, four critical categories of performance-shaping factors that can enable decision fail ures are identified: structural, affective, informational, and task and resource characteristics. A review of individual, group, and organizational decision- making literature suggests that many such factors may have important negative influences on performance. The role of training and exercises is discussed as a means for improving emergency-response system effectiveness and reliability.
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