Table 1

General failure types identified in the oil and gas industry9

General failure types	Explanation
1. Hardware	Quality and availability of tools and equipment
2. Design	Inadequate design leading directly to errors and violations
3. Maintenance management	Management of maintenance activities
4. Procedures	Quality, accuracy, relevance, availability and workability of procedures
5. Error-enforcing conditions	Conditions relating to either the workplace or the individual that can lead to unsafe acts
6. Housekeeping	Organisational inaction in response to known problems
7. Incompatible goals	Goal conflicts at the individual, group or organisational level
8. Communications	Communication problems including absence of communication channels, message failures, reception failures
9. Organisation	Inadequate organisational structure, organisational responsibilities and management of contractor safety
10. Training	Inadequate understanding of training requirements, low priority given to training, inadequate definition of competence requirements
11. Defences	Failures in detection, warning, personnel protection, recovery, containment, escape and rescue