Effects of human factors on the risk of aviation accidents in Kenya: Case Of Jkia Airlines

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of human factors on the risk of aviation accidents in Kenya, using Airlines in JKIA as a case study. The study focused on the following objectives: to ascertain the effect of Management support on risk of aviation accidents in Kenya; to establish the effect of employee training on risk of aviation accidents in Kenya; to determine how teamwork effects risk of aviation accidents in Kenya and to examine the effect of safety culture on risk of aviation accidents in Kenya. The theories underpinning the research are; Domino theory of aviation safety, Human factor theory. The proposed research will employ explanatory research design involving qualitative methods to collect data. This will involve use of questionnaire to conduct a stratified random sampling of 250 respondents as determined by Yamane formula from the entire population of 663 crew members and administration staff involved in human factors in the organization. The study purposes to subject the data to quantitative analysis based on the study objectives. Descriptive statistics (percentages, mean and standard deviation) was used for the quantitative analysis in which tables, pie charts and graphs was generated. The study there after conducted inferential statistics involving multiple regression analysis. Several significant findings emerge from the analysis. Management Support (MS) and Employee Training (ET) exhibited statistically significant positive associations with increased risk, implying that stronger financial management support and robust employee training processes tend to correlate with higher risk levels. Specifically, the regression analysis revealed that for every incremental one-unit increase in Management Support, there is a corresponding and statistically significant decrease of 0.701 units in the Risk of aviation accidents in Kenya, holding other factors constant. Similarly, a one-unit increase in Employee Training (ET) demonstrated a significant decrease of 0.478 units in Risk of aviation accidents in Kenya, with other variables held constant. Safety Culture (SC) and Teamwork (TW) displayed more modest positive relationships with risk. The regression analysis indicated that a one-unit increase in Safety Culture (SC) resulted in a moderate decrease of 0.375 units in Risk of aviation accidents, while a one-unit increase in Teamwork (TW) led to a smaller decrease of 0.318 units in Risk of aviation accidents, with other factors remaining constant. Additionally, the chi-square analyses provided statistical evidence by surpassing critical chi-square values at predetermined significance levels, leading to the rejection of null hypotheses. This rejection underscores the substantial and statistically significant impact of these factors on aviation safety. These results, supported by both perceptual and quantitative evidence, highlight the multifaceted nature of these human factors in aviation safety, emphasizing the need for nuanced approaches to enhance aviation safety practices and inform safety management and policy decisions in the Kenyan aviation sector