A 'role-rule' model to examine passengers' likely behaviour and their perceived ability to evacuate safely from airport in an emergency evacuation. (April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shiwakoti, Nirajan; Wang, Han; Jiang, Hongwei; Wang, Libao
• Is Part Of: Safety science. Volume 124(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-04
• Subjects: Survey -- Airport security -- Fire evacuation -- Aviation -- Socio-psychology; Industrial accidents -- Periodicals; Accident Prevention -- Periodicals; Safety -- Periodicals; Travail -- Accidents -- Périodiques; 363.11
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ssci.2019.104584
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0925-7535

Abstract

Highlights: Survey of airport passengers in Australia and China on passengers' likely behaviour and evacuating safely. Passengers are likely to engage in expected behavioral response. Passengers' perceived coping strategies in evacuation affected their perceived likelihood of evacuating safely. Survey indicated a lack of trust to evacuation management tools and procedures. Cultural differences were observed in the two airports. Abstract: This study aims to examine the airline passengers' likely behaviour and their perceived ability to evacuate safely from airport buildings in an emergency evacuation by testing and applying the socio-psychological 'role-rule' model. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to quantitatively test the applicability of the role-rule model to explain the passengers' likely behaviour in an emergency evacuation. A questionnaire survey of 500 respondents in Melbourne Airport in Australia and 450 respondents in Qingdao International Airport in China showed that passengers are likely to engage in expected behavioural responses or coping strategies (e.g., calling emergency services, leaving bags and belongings) and avoid non-typical coping strategies (e.g., pushing other passengers) in a fire evacuation. Further, passengers' perceived coping strategies affected their perceived likelihood of evacuating safely. Passengers perceived that if they follow specific evacuation procedures, they would not be able to evacuate safely. Therefore, planners and managers should develop strategies and campaigns to educate people on the importance of evacuations way findings tools like emergency evacuation maps/plans, assembly area and public address systems during evacuation process. Differences were observed in the perceived ability to evacuate safely in the two airports suggesting that cultural differences are important to consider in developing robust evacuation management plans.