"Airplane accident involving radiological facility" – What would happen if you see a newspaper headline like this? The importance of information management in crisis

Abstract

All radiological activity implies risks. However, these risks are rarely analyzed in the perspective of the impacts that can generate the image of the institutions in society. Reactions to a possible radiological accident, publicly exposed by the media, involves many challenges from the perspective of communication. However, for individuals and organizations responsible for the proper response to a crisis, as well as the public in general, the quality of information is psychologically important and vital in solving the threat. The objective of this research is to study and contribute to the awareness of the importance and the necessary zeal in the process of information management by all the people involved in a potential or already established crisis. For this, it proposes the analysis of a hypothetical situation of radiological accident involving the case of the TAM airplane that crashed into a shed in Congonhas, São Paulo.