Safety Culture Factors Affecting Taiwan National Airlines Cabin Safety Performance

Effective management can help reduce safety problems. The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine in what ways an improved safety culture could actively reduce the risk of cabin injuries, incidents, or accidents. Various statistical measurement tools were used to develop, evaluate, and improve overall safety performance. In order to obtain data, a comprehensive survey questionnaire was created and was randomly distributed to 391 cabin crewmembers among four major Taiwan national airlines at the end of March 2006. A Likert five-point scale questionnaire was integrated in the survey. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was also employed to test the hypothesized model relating safety culture and safety performance. Management commitment, work environment, participation, rule compliance, and accident investigation were extracted as factors which represented safety culture and safety performance. Data revealed that management commitment is an influential element and the best predictor of crewmember participation in safety-related activities, and accident investigation. Furthermore, findings demonstrated partial support for the model, in that a positive relationship existed between cabin safety culture and cabin safety performance. The outcome of these development and assessment endeavors provided the civil aviation regulator and airline management with a new perspective for an improved safety culture while achieving excellent cabin safety performance