ABSTRACT
Human error can occur in the design, operation, management, and maintenance of the complex systems characteristic of modern life. In September of 1983, twenty-two scientists of various disciplines met for a week to discuss human error. They came from seven countries to a conference in Bellagio, Italy sponsored by the Science Committee of NATO, with assistance from the Rockefeller Foundation. The accident at Three Mile Island in 1979 focused the attention of the media and the public on human error in a dramatic and memorable way. Some errors may be caused by activity in the central nervous system (CNS) that can be isolated and identified. If so, there is a possibility of detecting the CNS activity and responding to it in time to prevent the error, or to reduce its consequences. Errors that in the past might have led to the injury or death of one or a few persons could now lead to public catastrophe.
