diff --git a/apps/history/api.py b/apps/history/api.py
index b15e15a13f..1e4dbf48b2 100644
--- a/apps/history/api.py
+++ b/apps/history/api.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ except ImportError:
     class OperationalError(Exception):
         pass
 
+from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
 from django.db import transaction
 from django.db.utils import DatabaseError
 #from django.utils import simplejson
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@ def register_history_type(history_type_dict):
     except DatabaseError:
         transaction.rollback()
         # Special case for ./manage.py syncdb
-    except OperationalError:
+    except (OperationalError, ImproperlyConfigured):
         transaction.rollback()
         # Special for DjangoZoom, which executes collectstatic media
         # doing syncdb and creating the database tables
diff --git a/apps/ocr/__init__.py b/apps/ocr/__init__.py
index 42d691f7df..209b23145a 100644
--- a/apps/ocr/__init__.py
+++ b/apps/ocr/__init__.py
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ try:
 except ImportError:
     class OperationalError(Exception):
         pass
-
+        
+from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
 from django.db import transaction
 from django.utils.translation import ugettext_lazy as _
 from django.utils.translation import ugettext
@@ -82,7 +83,7 @@ def create_default_queue():
     except DatabaseError:
         transaction.rollback()
         # Special case for ./manage.py syncdb
-    except OperationalError:
+    except (OperationalError, ImproperlyConfigured):
         transaction.rollback()
         # Special for DjangoZoom, which executes collectstatic media
         # doing syncdb and creating the database tables
diff --git a/apps/permissions/api.py b/apps/permissions/api.py
index d2a860ebc7..13efbbed28 100644
--- a/apps/permissions/api.py
+++ b/apps/permissions/api.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ except ImportError:
     class OperationalError(Exception):
         pass
 
+from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
 from django.db import transaction
 from django.db.utils import DatabaseError
 from django.shortcuts import get_object_or_404
@@ -36,7 +37,7 @@ def register_permission(permission):
     except DatabaseError:
         transaction.rollback()
         # Special case for ./manage.py syncdb
-    except OperationalError:
+    except (OperationalError, ImproperlyConfigured):
         transaction.rollback()
         # Special for DjangoZoom, which executes collectstatic media
         # doing syncdb and creating the database tables