Weaknesses leading to systemic failure

From Systemic failures: Challenges and opportunities in risk management in complex systems, Venkat Venkatasubramanian  (emphasis added)

Table 2. Some Typical Examples of Failures at Various Levels in a Systemic Failure
Individuals

•  Poor operator training or inexperienced operators leading to human errors
•  Not enough personnel due to downsizing

Equipment

• Poor maintenance and wear-and-tear leading to equipment failure
• Wrong material, capacity, or equipment

Procedures

• Standard operating procedures not followed, workers make up their own or perform short cuts
• Past mini-accidents and warnings ignored
• Process hazards analysis (PHA) not conducted thoroughly
• Poor emergency planning and training

Safety Systems

• Safety systems not tested and maintained properly
• Back-up and/or emergency systems not on automatic but on manual

Management • Failure in communication between ranks

• Safety is not made priority #1, cost cutting is
• Senior management lacking the background to appreciate the risks inherent in complex process plants – too much emphasis on financial spreadsheets and not enough on process flowsheets
• “Performance at all costs” culture encouraging excessive risk taking and unethical behavior among its employees

Corporate Board

• Rewarding short term performance instead of long term
• Setting up perverse incentives that are detrimental to the long term survival of the company

Government: Policies and Regulators

• Laissez-faire regulatory policies, reliance on self policing
• Policies not strictly enforced due to limited resources or inherent conflict of interests of the regulatory bodies (as seen in SEC and MMS)

National: Political

• Anti-government or anti-regulations sentiment dominant
• Sustainability warnings ignored
• Celebration of greed