Proceedings of a symposium jointly organized with OECD/NEA, Sorrento, Italy, 21–25 March 1988. The contents of the pro- ceedings represent a wide spectrum of topics and should provide an understanding of the issue of beyond the design basis accidents, quite frequently called ‘severe accidents’. The papers give an overview of different national approaches, with the overall emphasis on preventive, mitigative and accident management measures. The most important outcome of the symposium was a clear awareness of accident management questions which were among the most controversial issues discussed. Contents: (Vol. 1) National positions and practices on severe accidents; Accident initiation and analysis; Non-water-cooled nuclear power reactors.