diff --git a/lib/isc/pthreads/include/isc/condition.h b/lib/isc/pthreads/include/isc/condition.h
index 28338c7fdf..92d33ad324 100644
--- a/lib/isc/pthreads/include/isc/condition.h
+++ b/lib/isc/pthreads/include/isc/condition.h
@@ -23,8 +23,8 @@
 typedef pthread_cond_t isc_condition_t;
 
 #define isc_condition_init(cp) \
-	((pthread_cond_init((cp), NULL) == 0) ? \
-	 ISC_R_SUCCESS : ISC_R_UNEXPECTED)
+	(RUNTIME_CHECK(pthread_cond_init((cp), NULL) == 0), \
+	 ISC_R_SUCCESS)
 
 #if ISC_MUTEX_PROFILE
 #define isc_condition_wait(cp, mp) \
diff --git a/lib/isc/pthreads/mutex.c b/lib/isc/pthreads/mutex.c
index 76bac089b6..b290b50fe0 100644
--- a/lib/isc/pthreads/mutex.c
+++ b/lib/isc/pthreads/mutex.c
@@ -88,10 +88,10 @@ isc_mutex_init_profile(isc_mutex_t *mp, const char *file, int line) {
 	int i, err;
 
 	err = pthread_mutex_init(&mp->mutex, NULL);
-	if (err == ENOMEM)
-		return (ISC_R_NOMEMORY);
-	if (err != 0)
-		return (ISC_R_UNEXPECTED);
+	if (err != 0) {
+		strerror_r(err, strbuf, sizeof(strbuf));
+		isc_error_fatal(file, line, "pthread_mutex_init failed: %s", strbuf);
+	}
 
 	RUNTIME_CHECK(pthread_mutex_lock(&statslock) == 0);
 
@@ -294,9 +294,7 @@ isc__mutex_init(isc_mutex_t *mp, const char *file, unsigned int line) {
 		return (ISC_R_NOMEMORY);
 	if (err != 0) {
 		strerror_r(err, strbuf, sizeof(strbuf));
-		UNEXPECTED_ERROR(file, line, "isc_mutex_init() failed: %s",
-				 strbuf);
-		result = ISC_R_UNEXPECTED;
+		isc_error_fatal(file, line, "pthread_mutex_init failed: %s", strbuf);
 	}
 	return (result);
 }