Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M1795

Fail-Safe

Fail-Safe
SystemsHigh supportSystems Theory
Included
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

When a system fails, it must default to a safe state rather than a dangerous one. For example, when an elevator loses power, the brakes automatically engage (safe) rather than release (dangerous).

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Bottom-line thinking. When making any plan, ask yourself: if everything goes wrong, is the outcome acceptable (safe) or catastrophic (fatal)? Ensure that the consequences of failure are contained.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Fail-safe design automatically enters the safest state upon system failure, relying on redundancy, default safe positions, and energy-directed design. The core is to incorporate 'error' into the design rather than relying on humans not to make mistakes.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fail-safeZH · Explicit
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