According to the Association of State Dam Safety, human fallibility and limitations encompass a range of factors that influence dam operators’ actions and decisions. These factors include misperception, faulty memory, ambiguity, and vagueness in language, incomplete information, lack of knowledge and expertise, unreliability of intuition, inaccuracies in mental models, cognitive biases operating at the subconscious and group levels, the use of heuristic shortcuts, emotions, and fatigue. These factors collectively contribute to various types of "human errors," which can be categorized as "slips" (inadvertent actions), "lapses" (inadvertent inactions), and "mistakes" (intended actions with unintended outcomes due to errors in thinking). Among these, mistakes are the most prevalent type of human error leading to dam failures. Additionally, "violations" are considered another category of human error, involving deliberate non-compliance with rules and procedures, often due to the perception that these guidelines are impractical in real-world situations.

Determining what constitutes an "error" is generally done in hindsight, making it susceptible to the pitfalls of hindsight bias and fundamental attribution bias. Hindsight bias involves judging events based on what we know now, rather than considering the limited information and perspectives available at the time of the event. Fundamental attribution bias, on the other hand, overemphasizes individual attributes when assessing errors, neglecting the influence of situational factors. When conducting forensic investigations, it is crucial not to hastily assign blame. Investigators should empathize with the decision-makers, recognizing that they faced challenges inherent to human fallibility, limitations, and the lack of clear foresight when making their choices.

The primary drivers of failure and the various human errors mentioned above often contribute to inadequate risk management, which can be categorized into three types: