📄 Abstract
Background: The Philippine Air Force Safety Management System (PAFSMS) provides an organizational framework for operational safety, force preservation, and mission readiness in military aviation. This study examined the experiences and perceptions of Philippine Air Force (PAF) personnel regarding safety management practices in selected units at Brigadier General Benito N. Ebuen Air Base (BGBNEAB), Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, focusing on safety governance; safety culture and organizational learning; human factors and operational safety; and safety assurance and continuous improvement. Methodology: A phenomenological qualitative design was used. Semi-structured key-informant interviews were conducted with 21 purposively selected personnel from five (5) participating PAF units. Participants included safety personnel, senior enlisted leaders, pilots, aircraft-maintenance personnel, and ground-support personnel. Interview data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic-analysis approach. Results: Participants identified leadership commitment, clear safety responsibilities, coordinated oversight, trust, fair and non-punitive reporting, competency development, fatigue and workload management, proactive hazard reporting, evidence-based investigation, digital information management, and continuous monitoring as conditions that support safety management. The findings informed the development of the Enhanced Strategic Safety Management Framework, which integrates governance, safety culture and organizational learning, human-factors management, and safety assurance within a continuous-improvement model. Conclusion: Effective PAFSMS implementation was experienced as an organizational process extending beyond procedural compliance. The findings indicated that governance, safety culture and organizational learning, human factors, and safety assurance should be addressed as interconnected elements of safety management. The ESSMF provides a context-specific framework to support operational safety, organizational resilience, and mission readiness within participating PAF units. Further research is recommended to evaluate its applicability in other aviation organizations.
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📚 How to Cite:
Ryan E. Bayona , ENHANCING THE PHILIPPINE AIR FORCE SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF SELECTED MILITARY AVIATION UNITS , Volume 12 , Issue 8, August 2026, EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR) , Pages: 887 - 890 , DOI: https://doi.org/10.36713/epra31382