Slaven Bilic insists that his team will approach Saturday's game at Stoke feeling confident but still fighting for their Premier League status.
Five points from the last three games unbeaten has lifted the Hammers seven points clear of the bottom three and to within just two points of ninth-placed Southampton.
However, with four matches still to be played, Bilic certainly isn't taking the approach that his team are completely out of danger.
"No, I don’t feel safe from relegation," he said. "Only when you are mathematically safe, you are safe. That’s the only truth. Maybe 38 points will be enough and people will say 'what did I tell you?' But the only proper way to think about it is mathematically.
"There is a higher confidence now, we have a small run of three games unbeaten, five points. Confidence is higher when you have good memories of being unbeaten. It’s related to the way you are training and the way you approach the next game."
With Swansea travelling to Manchester United on Sunday, victory for the Hammers at the Britannia Stadium will guarantee safety if Paul Clement's side fail to win at Old Trafford, and Bilic believes that opportunity provides the ideal incentive for his players.
"It’s a good gap we have of seven points, but still we need points," he said. "People talk about 38 and you’re safe, but it’s irrelevant. We have points still to play for and Stoke are the same. We want to finish as high as possible.
"We are in that situation where we have to do both; look over our shoulder but look up ahead too. There’s a small gap between us and mid-table, it’s a one game gap.
"With four games to go, we’re talking about 12 points and that’s why we have to think about both. We need to concentrate on the next game and that’s the best way to approach things. We approach them as cup finals, all our games."