<p>Waiting shed systems are public structures designed to withstand environmental factors and other service life conditions. However, a galvanized iron waiting shed system situated in the Philippines failed prematurely and exhibited paint degradation, pitting corrosion, and weld delamination. This study investigates the root cause of the degradation and failure of the waiting shed system, focusing on the coating degradation and hollow pipe supports of the waiting shed via inspection techniques and characterizations. Initial in-situ microscopy of the pipe framework of the waiting shed, optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction of the corroded pipe sample, X-ray fluorescence of powder coating and corrosion products, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of the powder coating, stress simulation, and causal factor analysis were carried out. The associated root cause of the failure is a combination of various factors, such as frequent human interactions, prolonged exposure to rainwater, structural design of the system, exposure to sunlight and ultraviolet radiation, high lead content in the coatings, and exposure to other external elements.</p>