Integration of safety quality function deployment in ferry services: Empirical study of Indonesia

Abstract

This research has employed a modified quality function deployment (QFD) technique to explore the safety quality of ferry services according to hazards and events, safety management system standards, and the safety culture of the ferry service provider, referred to as the safety quality function deployment (SQFD). The SQFD involves a three stage House of Quality (HoQ) matrix. Interviews and questionnaires were sent to expert practitioners engaged with ferry services in Indonesia to evaluate the matrices — likewise, a survey was conducted of a sample of passengers to measure their perceived safety service satisfaction. The survey was conducted both online and offline and obtained 26 respondents from among the expert practitioners and 506 respondents from the passenger sample. Based on the HoQ matrices analysis, important items need to be prioritized to improve the ferry services' safety quality. ‘Safety equipment in vessel’ was found to be the first priority to enhance the ferry passengers' satisfaction. After that, ‘safety training’ was the main point needed to improve the ferry services' safety quality.