Abstract
Safety is an essential part of aviation. Risk assessment is considered subjective, while the operational context necessitates conformity and a unilateral approach. Eventually, the results assess individual risk perception and risk communication and are not being planned proactively. Additionally, due to the diversity of organisations and cultures, there is further fragmentation of what is recognised as risk behaviour, what should be communicated, and what is hazardous. Considering risk perception and communication within the daily practice is seen as essential to explain the behaviours during an adverse event. Safety analysis and investigation methods (SAIMs) have the goal to suggest ways to achieve acceptable system outcomes and avoid unfavourable consequences on humans, equipment, facilities, and the environment. However, there is no widely common and accepted framework engulfing safety recommendations and proactive safety management such as a behavioural intervention to enhance risk perception and risk communication and minimise danger. Risk perception and communication have been underrepresented in studies regarding their complexity in aviation practice. They have not been explicitly addressed for their role in incidents/accidents, resulting in ambiguous proactive safety suggestions and planning. Based on the premise that risk behaviour results from inappropriate risk perception and risk communication, this thesis supports that a behaviour-based intervention can enhance risk perception and communication.
This thesis aimed to generate a holistic intervention plan to modify risk behaviour on the assumption that risk perception and communication are the basic factors. The hypotheses included that specific factors can be associated with risk perception and communication leading to risk behaviour, which may be influenced to enhance the latter. Also, a complete integrated intervention model can be generated and fused with a Strategic Communications approach, which makes it usable by most aviation air-carrier organisations. The objectives are to determine two sets of risk perception and communication factors, which lead to risk behaviour and then generate an integrated model applicable in the aviation context. This thesis followed the pragmatism paradigm and adopted a fixed multiphase mixed methods approach, investigating SAIMs, safety events reports, two groups of Subject-Matter-Experts, and the wider aviation workforce. The resulting behaviour based model consolidates the role of risk perception and communication factors as moderators of antecedent behaviour while holistically envisaging the aviation work environment. Contribution to theory and practice within the aviation safety context is provided, as well as future research for additional applications of the model