diff --git a/linux/runtime.go b/linux/runtime.go
index 6f6567aaa..f1764ca71 100644
--- a/linux/runtime.go
+++ b/linux/runtime.go
@@ -251,7 +251,9 @@ func (r *Runtime) Create(ctx context.Context, id string, opts runtime.CreateOpts
 	}
 	// after the task is created, add it to the monitor
 	if err = r.monitor.Monitor(t); err != nil {
-		r.tasks.Delete(ctx, t)
+		if _, err := r.Delete(ctx, t); err != nil {
+			log.G(ctx).WithError(err).Error("deleting task after failed monitor")
+		}
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	return t, nil
@@ -269,6 +271,7 @@ func (r *Runtime) Delete(ctx context.Context, c runtime.Task) (*runtime.Exit, er
 	if err := r.monitor.Stop(lc); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+
 	rsp, err := lc.shim.Delete(ctx, empty)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, errdefs.FromGRPC(err)
diff --git a/metrics/cgroups/cgroups.go b/metrics/cgroups/cgroups.go
index 5ef16c0c3..2803c1303 100644
--- a/metrics/cgroups/cgroups.go
+++ b/metrics/cgroups/cgroups.go
@@ -7,9 +7,11 @@ import (
 	eventsapi "github.com/containerd/containerd/api/services/events/v1"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/events"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/log"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/namespaces"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/plugin"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/runtime"
 	metrics "github.com/docker/go-metrics"
+	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"golang.org/x/net/context"
 )
 
@@ -54,7 +56,7 @@ func (m *cgroupsMonitor) Monitor(c runtime.Task) error {
 	}
 	cg, err := cgroups.Load(cgroups.V1, cgroups.PidPath(int(state.Pid)))
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		return errors.Wrapf(err, "load cgroup for %d", state.Pid)
 	}
 	if err := m.collector.Add(info.ID, info.Namespace, cg); err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -68,8 +70,9 @@ func (m *cgroupsMonitor) Stop(c runtime.Task) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (m *cgroupsMonitor) trigger(id string, cg cgroups.Cgroup) {
-	if err := m.publisher.Publish(m.context, runtime.TaskOOMEventTopic, &eventsapi.TaskOOM{
+func (m *cgroupsMonitor) trigger(id, namespace string, cg cgroups.Cgroup) {
+	ctx := namespaces.WithNamespace(m.context, namespace)
+	if err := m.publisher.Publish(ctx, runtime.TaskOOMEventTopic, &eventsapi.TaskOOM{
 		ContainerID: id,
 	}); err != nil {
 		log.G(m.context).WithError(err).Error("post OOM event")
diff --git a/metrics/cgroups/metrics.go b/metrics/cgroups/metrics.go
index e3d0f5922..e47696467 100644
--- a/metrics/cgroups/metrics.go
+++ b/metrics/cgroups/metrics.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ var (
 
 // Trigger will be called when an event happens and provides the cgroup
 // where the event originated from
-type Trigger func(string, cgroups.Cgroup)
+type Trigger func(string, string, cgroups.Cgroup)
 
 // New registers the Collector with the provided namespace and returns it so
 // that cgroups can be added for collection
diff --git a/metrics/cgroups/oom.go b/metrics/cgroups/oom.go
index 47d979f58..39989d52d 100644
--- a/metrics/cgroups/oom.go
+++ b/metrics/cgroups/oom.go
@@ -4,11 +4,13 @@ package cgroups
 
 import (
 	"sync"
+	"sync/atomic"
 
 	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 
 	"github.com/containerd/cgroups"
 	metrics "github.com/docker/go-metrics"
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
@@ -18,10 +20,11 @@ func NewOOMCollector(ns *metrics.Namespace) (*OOMCollector, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	c := &OOMCollector{
-		fd:        fd,
-		memoryOOM: ns.NewLabeledGauge("memory_oom", "The number of times a container received an oom event", metrics.Total, "container_id", "namespace"),
-		set:       make(map[uintptr]*oom),
+		fd:   fd,
+		desc: ns.NewDesc("memory_oom", "The number of times a container has received an oom event", metrics.Total, "container_id", "namespace"),
+		set:  make(map[uintptr]*oom),
 	}
+	ns.Add(c)
 	go c.start()
 	return c, nil
 }
@@ -29,9 +32,9 @@ func NewOOMCollector(ns *metrics.Namespace) (*OOMCollector, error) {
 type OOMCollector struct {
 	mu sync.Mutex
 
-	memoryOOM metrics.LabeledGauge
-	fd        int
-	set       map[uintptr]*oom
+	desc *prometheus.Desc
+	fd   int
+	set  map[uintptr]*oom
 }
 
 type oom struct {
@@ -39,6 +42,7 @@ type oom struct {
 	namespace string
 	c         cgroups.Cgroup
 	triggers  []Trigger
+	count     int64
 }
 
 func (o *OOMCollector) Add(id, namespace string, cg cgroups.Cgroup, triggers ...Trigger) error {
@@ -54,16 +58,24 @@ func (o *OOMCollector) Add(id, namespace string, cg cgroups.Cgroup, triggers ...
 		triggers:  triggers,
 		namespace: namespace,
 	}
-	// set the gauge's default value
-	o.memoryOOM.WithValues(id, namespace).Set(0)
 	event := unix.EpollEvent{
 		Fd:     int32(fd),
 		Events: unix.EPOLLHUP | unix.EPOLLIN | unix.EPOLLERR,
 	}
-	if err := unix.EpollCtl(o.fd, unix.EPOLL_CTL_ADD, int(fd), &event); err != nil {
-		return err
+	return unix.EpollCtl(o.fd, unix.EPOLL_CTL_ADD, int(fd), &event)
+}
+
+func (o *OOMCollector) Describe(ch chan<- *prometheus.Desc) {
+	ch <- o.desc
+}
+
+func (o *OOMCollector) Collect(ch chan<- prometheus.Metric) {
+	o.mu.Lock()
+	defer o.mu.Unlock()
+	for _, t := range o.set {
+		c := atomic.LoadInt64(&t.count)
+		ch <- prometheus.MustNewConstMetric(o.desc, prometheus.CounterValue, float64(c), t.id, t.namespace)
 	}
-	return nil
 }
 
 // Close closes the epoll fd
@@ -107,14 +119,14 @@ func (o *OOMCollector) process(fd uintptr, event uint32) {
 		unix.Close(int(fd))
 		return
 	}
-	o.memoryOOM.WithValues(info.id, info.namespace).Inc(1)
+	atomic.AddInt64(&info.count, 1)
 	for _, t := range info.triggers {
-		t(info.id, info.c)
+		t(info.id, info.namespace, info.c)
 	}
 }
 
 func flush(fd uintptr) error {
-	buf := make([]byte, 8)
-	_, err := unix.Read(int(fd), buf)
+	var buf [8]byte
+	_, err := unix.Read(int(fd), buf[:])
 	return err
 }