This is one reason to get in the habit of practicing the safe way of doing something, regardless of the situation. Description errors arise when the difference between correct and incorrect actions is slight. You walk into a room and forget what you're looking for. That's because the cue or activator that sent you into the room was lost or forgotten. This happens whenever you start an activity with a clear goal, but then lose sight of it as you continue the task.
Performance can subsequently slip.
Mode errors are probable whenever we face a task involving multiple options, or modes of operation. These slips are common when equipment is designed with a greater variety of functions than the number of controls. This type of slip is essentially one of execution. But these errors often involve memory and interpreting information. Equipment design is certainly important here, along with proper training and behavior-based activators.