diff --git a/lib/isc/include/isc/condition.h b/lib/isc/include/isc/condition.h
index 54e497df0f..ca75f10695 100644
--- a/lib/isc/include/isc/condition.h
+++ b/lib/isc/include/isc/condition.h
@@ -21,20 +21,16 @@
 #include <isc/lang.h>
 #include <isc/mutex.h>
 #include <isc/result.h>
-#include <isc/strerr.h>
 #include <isc/string.h>
 #include <isc/types.h>
+#include <isc/util.h>
 
 typedef pthread_cond_t isc_condition_t;
 
-#define isc_condition_init(cond)                                \
-	if (pthread_cond_init(cond, NULL) != 0) {               \
-		char isc_condition_strbuf[ISC_STRERRORSIZE];    \
-		strerror_r(errno, isc_condition_strbuf,         \
-			   sizeof(isc_condition_strbuf));       \
-		isc_error_fatal(__FILE__, __LINE__,             \
-				"pthread_cond_init failed: %s", \
-				isc_condition_strbuf);          \
+#define isc_condition_init(cond)                          \
+	{                                                 \
+		int _ret = pthread_cond_init(cond, NULL); \
+		ERRNO_CHECK(pthread_cond_init, _ret);     \
 	}
 
 #define isc_condition_wait(cp, mp)                            \
diff --git a/lib/isc/include/isc/mutex.h b/lib/isc/include/isc/mutex.h
index c454dd2b24..8a8562bd8c 100644
--- a/lib/isc/include/isc/mutex.h
+++ b/lib/isc/include/isc/mutex.h
@@ -26,9 +26,9 @@ ISC_LANG_BEGINDECLS
 typedef pthread_mutex_t isc_mutex_t;
 
 void
-isc__mutex_init(isc_mutex_t *mp, const char *file, unsigned int line);
+isc__mutex_init(isc_mutex_t *mp);
 
-#define isc_mutex_init(mp) isc__mutex_init((mp), __FILE__, __LINE__)
+#define isc_mutex_init(mp) isc__mutex_init((mp))
 
 #define isc_mutex_lock(mp) \
 	((pthread_mutex_lock((mp)) == 0) ? ISC_R_SUCCESS : ISC_R_UNEXPECTED)
diff --git a/lib/isc/include/isc/util.h b/lib/isc/include/isc/util.h
index 297cad9d10..f0338c5844 100644
--- a/lib/isc/include/isc/util.h
+++ b/lib/isc/include/isc/util.h
@@ -309,7 +309,10 @@ mock_assert(const int result, const char *const expression,
 /*
  * Errors
  */
-#include <isc/error.h> /* Contractual promise. */
+#include <errno.h> /* for errno */
+
+#include <isc/error.h>	/* Contractual promise. */
+#include <isc/strerr.h> /* for ISC_STRERRORSIZE */
 
 /*% Unexpected Error */
 #define UNEXPECTED_ERROR isc_error_unexpected
@@ -330,6 +333,15 @@ mock_assert(const int result, const char *const expression,
 
 #endif /* UNIT_TESTING */
 
+/*% Runtime check which logs the error string corresponding to errno */
+#define ERRNO_CHECK(func, ret)                                                 \
+	if ((ret) != 0) {                                                      \
+		char _strerrorbuf[ISC_STRERRORSIZE];                           \
+		strerror_r(errno, _strerrorbuf, sizeof(_strerrorbuf));         \
+		isc_error_fatal(__FILE__, __LINE__, "%s() failed in %s(): %s", \
+				#func, __func__, _strerrorbuf);                \
+	}
+
 /*%
  * Time
  */
diff --git a/lib/isc/mutex.c b/lib/isc/mutex.c
index 0b050fa43d..a73c276193 100644
--- a/lib/isc/mutex.c
+++ b/lib/isc/mutex.c
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ initialize_attr(void) {
 #endif /* HAVE_PTHREAD_MUTEX_ADAPTIVE_NP */
 
 void
-isc__mutex_init(isc_mutex_t *mp, const char *file, unsigned int line) {
+isc__mutex_init(isc_mutex_t *mp) {
 	int err;
 
 #ifdef HAVE_PTHREAD_MUTEX_ADAPTIVE_NP
@@ -53,10 +53,5 @@ isc__mutex_init(isc_mutex_t *mp, const char *file, unsigned int line) {
 #else  /* HAVE_PTHREAD_MUTEX_ADAPTIVE_NP */
 	err = pthread_mutex_init(mp, NULL);
 #endif /* HAVE_PTHREAD_MUTEX_ADAPTIVE_NP */
-	if (err != 0) {
-		char strbuf[ISC_STRERRORSIZE];
-		strerror_r(err, strbuf, sizeof(strbuf));
-		isc_error_fatal(file, line, "pthread_mutex_init failed: %s",
-				strbuf);
-	}
+	ERRNO_CHECK(pthread_mutex_init, err);
 }
diff --git a/lib/isc/thread.c b/lib/isc/thread.c
index 4c7380cac1..fef4998dab 100644
--- a/lib/isc/thread.c
+++ b/lib/isc/thread.c
@@ -38,13 +38,6 @@
 #define THREAD_MINSTACKSIZE (1024U * 1024)
 #endif /* ifndef THREAD_MINSTACKSIZE */
 
-#define _FATAL(r, f)                                                          \
-	{                                                                     \
-		char strbuf[ISC_STRERRORSIZE];                                \
-		strerror_r(r, strbuf, sizeof(strbuf));                        \
-		isc_error_fatal(__FILE__, __LINE__, f " failed: %s", strbuf); \
-	}
-
 void
 isc_thread_create(isc_threadfunc_t func, isc_threadarg_t arg,
 		  isc_thread_t *thread) {
@@ -65,24 +58,18 @@ isc_thread_create(isc_threadfunc_t func, isc_threadarg_t arg,
 #if defined(HAVE_PTHREAD_ATTR_GETSTACKSIZE) && \
 	defined(HAVE_PTHREAD_ATTR_SETSTACKSIZE)
 	ret = pthread_attr_getstacksize(&attr, &stacksize);
-	if (ret != 0) {
-		_FATAL(ret, "pthread_attr_getstacksize()");
-	}
+	ERRNO_CHECK(pthread_attr_getstacksize, ret);
 
 	if (stacksize < THREAD_MINSTACKSIZE) {
 		ret = pthread_attr_setstacksize(&attr, THREAD_MINSTACKSIZE);
-		if (ret != 0) {
-			_FATAL(ret, "pthread_attr_setstacksize()");
-		}
+		ERRNO_CHECK(pthread_attr_setstacksize, ret);
 	}
 #endif /* if defined(HAVE_PTHREAD_ATTR_GETSTACKSIZE) && \
 	* defined(HAVE_PTHREAD_ATTR_SETSTACKSIZE) */
 
 	ret = pthread_create(thread, &attr, isc__trampoline_run,
 			     trampoline_arg);
-	if (ret != 0) {
-		_FATAL(ret, "pthread_create()");
-	}
+	ERRNO_CHECK(pthread_create, ret);
 
 	pthread_attr_destroy(&attr);
 
@@ -92,9 +79,8 @@ isc_thread_create(isc_threadfunc_t func, isc_threadarg_t arg,
 void
 isc_thread_join(isc_thread_t thread, isc_threadresult_t *result) {
 	int ret = pthread_join(thread, result);
-	if (ret != 0) {
-		_FATAL(ret, "pthread_join()");
-	}
+
+	ERRNO_CHECK(pthread_join, ret);
 }
 
 void