The impact of improving the safety management system on situational awareness in the context of safety: a case of a selected high-reliability organization

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Tomasz Ewertowski
Agata Kowalska

Abstract

In the aviation sector, maintaining a high level of safety is one of its main objectives. That is why these types of organizations are recognized as High Reliability Organizations (HROs). This paper aimed to identify and understand the relationship between the quality of the Safety Management System (SMS), and situational awareness (SA) allowing organizational members to perceive, comprehend, and respond to safety-related situations promptly and accurately. Based on a literature review, the authors present adopted concepts of the SMS and SA. The survey methodology involved document research, and a questionnaire on the SMS and SA, which consisted of 11 questions. The survey was conducted in the Approved Training Organization (ATO) in the Greater Poland voivodeship. The research considered two periods before and after the introduction of improvements in the SMS. The research indicated a relationship between improvements in the SMS and better SA of the HRO in the context of safety. The development of the SMS in the HRO was significant. The implementation of new SMS elements has undoubtedly contributed to an increase in safety levels and situational awareness within the HRO. A noticeable surge of incidents reported through the incident reporting system can be observed. This is confirmed by the opinions of the respondents. Additionally, students showed a more critical approach to safety than instructors, which may be due to insufficient safety culture education.

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Ewertowski, T., & Kowalska, A. (2025). The impact of improving the safety management system on situational awareness in the context of safety: a case of a selected high-reliability organization. Journal of Management and Financial Sciences, (54), 107–123. https://doi.org/10.33119/JMFS.2024.54.6
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