diff --git a/scripts/mysqld_safe.sh b/scripts/mysqld_safe.sh
index 75589a2d004..48c98f2fde3 100644
--- a/scripts/mysqld_safe.sh
+++ b/scripts/mysqld_safe.sh
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ then
   log_notice "Logging to '$err_log'."
   logging=file
 
-  if [ ! -e "$err_log" ]; then                  # if error log already exists,
+  if [ ! -f "$err_log" ]; then                  # if error log already exists,
     touch "$err_log"                            # we just append. otherwise,
     chmod "$fmode" "$err_log"                   # fix the permissions here!
   fi
@@ -599,7 +599,7 @@ do
 
   eval_log_error "$cmd"
 
-  if [ $want_syslog -eq 0 -a ! -e "$err_log" ]; then
+  if [ $want_syslog -eq 0 -a ! -f "$err_log" ]; then
     touch "$err_log"                    # hypothetical: log was renamed but not
     chown $user "$err_log"              # flushed yet. we'd recreate it with
     chmod "$fmode" "$err_log"           # wrong owner next time we log, so set