Date of Conferral

2-6-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Robert Haines

Abstract

A safety management system (SMS) is challenging for an aviation maintenance facility and even more significant for the aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) entrusted to perform the work due to organizational, methodological, and consistency issues. The incorporation of an SMS is new in the United States for maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities that operate under the Code of Federal Regulations Part 145. AMTs constitute the bulk of the workers in an MRO. By default, a safety culture and safety consciousness existed in MROs prior to an SMS, and this study was conducted to understand the perceptions of the AMTs in the MROs with an SMS and whether the SMS had an impact on safety culture and safety consciousness after implementation. General system theory grounded the theoretical framework in an effort to explain how all system elements interact with one another. Interviewed AMTs were questioned on perceptions of safety consciousness and safety culture since the implementation of the SMS in their MRO. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 12 AMTs. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data to produce an account of the phenomenon. Six themes were identified through this analysis: (a) positive aspects of SMS adoption and implementation, (b) strategies and considerations on SMS adoption and implementation, (c) improvements in reporting and safety measures, (d) increased participation and involvement, (e) positive changes in safety culture, and (f) increased accountability and oversight. The implications for positive social change include the potential for MRO leaders to implement SMS programs to improve facility safety for the public’s safety via change awareness in safety culture and the safety consciousness of AMTs in an MRO.

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