Latent errors of socio-technical disasters: A Malaysian case study

The nation has experienced various socio-technical disasters such as structural collapse, fires and explosions. Public inquiry reports of six major socio-technical disasters were analysed to identify their underlying causes. The findings demonstrated that their onsets were caused by active errors that were either due to either unsafe acts or unsafe conditions. The underlying causes were attributed to the latent errors that were accumulated and embedded in the system during the incubation period in the pre-disaster phase. Organisational and regulatory failures were the main causative factors of the disasters. Understanding and identification of these latent errors would enable the government and other stakeholders to take appropriate measures to develop suitable organisational structures, policies and regulations in order to reduce the likelihood of occurrences of future disasters in the country. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.