The purpose of this literature review is to provide the background to an evaluation of the utility of the Command Safety Assessment Survey (CSAS) as a valid predictor of future mishaps. The end goal is to be able to use the survey to identify at risk U.S. Naval squadrons prior to the occurrence of mishaps. Safety climate describes employees' perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about risk and safety (Mearns & Flin, 1999). Safety climate is most commonly evaluated using questionnaires. Although assessments of safety climate are not widespread in civil aviation, the United States Navy has been using the CSAS since 2000 to measure the safety climate of aviation squadrons. This review argues that a comprehensive assessment of the construct (the extent to which the questionnaire measures what it is intended to measure) and discriminate validity (correlate the data from the questionnaire with a criterion variable, such as accidents) of the CSAS should be carried out. This assessment is necessary to ensure that squadron Commanding Officers, and senior leadership, are being provided with valid and reliable information on squadron safety climate.
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