Overview
In this unit you will gain an insight into aviation safety management systems. You will learn the skills to establish a safety management system tailored to an individual aviation operation considering organisational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures. You will also gain knowledge about the International Civil Aviation Organisation's mandate for member states to establish a State Safety Program and how each organisation within a state is required to establish a Safety Management System subject to the rules and regulations of that jurisdiction.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Students must meet all requisites: AVAT11013 Introduction to Aviation AND AVAT11010 Aviation Safety Fundamentals
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from SUTE
Assessment requirements were not clear.
Assessment descriptions should be reviewed and updated.
Feedback from SUTE
Assessment feedback was insufficient/unclear.
Assessment rubric and feedback format should be updated to make it easier to provide detailed feedback.
- Analyse the elements of a safety management system in an aviation environment
- Evaluate organisational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures for the development of a safety management system
- Research information on state safety programs and safety management systems
- Critique a safety management system.
N/A. There is no external accreditation.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||
| 2 - Presentation - 30% | ||||
| 3 - Online Test - 40% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
s.leib@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Review of Aviation Safety Fundamental elements
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Documentation and Implementation of SMS as Regulatory Compliance Part 1
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Documentation and Implementation of SMS as Regulatory Compliance Part 2
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
ICAO SSP and USOAP
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Safety Culture
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
In-class test
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Internal Occurrence Investigation
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
IATA Safety Auditing
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Quality Management Systems (QMS)
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Practical SMS/QMS Integration
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Unit Review
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Presentations
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Online Test
Students will complete an online test that is a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions, comprehensively covering the topics from Weeks 1 - 5. Students will have up to 2 hours to complete this test, which will open on the Monday of Week 6 and will close on the Friday of Week 6 at 11:45PM QLD time.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - NO AI
You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
This assessment is exempted from the 72-hour submission grace period and must be completed by the stated submission date/time.
Week 6 Friday (17 Apr 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
Students are graded based on the accuracy and depth of answers.
- Analyse the elements of a safety management system in an aviation environment
- Research information on state safety programs and safety management systems
- Critique a safety management system.
2 Written Assessment
Your report should use the CASA SMS regulations and guidance material as a reference point for describing how the organisation's SMS operates. It should be structured as follows:
- Introduction to the organisation, its purpose, and its operational profile
- Description of how SMS is structured at the organisation, including
- Safety office and safety personnel, and their position in the organisational hierarchy
- Safety documentation
- Safety Training
- How the structure of SMS is tailored to the unique operating circumstances of the organisation
- How the hazard reporting system is operated, including
- Method(s) of reporting
- How risks are analysed
- How feedback is delivered
- How safety culture is maintained, including
- How safety is promoted
- Any efforts targeting specific safety subcultures
- How safety assurance is implemented, including
- Continuous improvement measures
- QMS interfaces
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - AI PLANNING
You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Week 11 Friday (29 May 2026) 11:45 pm AEST
You will be assessed based on the following criteria:
- Depth of understanding of the organisation's SMS (10 points)
- Quality of describing the alignment of the organisation's SMS components and CASA reference materials (10 points)
- Writing quality, including clarity of expression, accurate referencing, spelling, grammar, etc (10 points)
Examples of different levels of quality for each category will be provided on Moodle.
- Evaluate organisational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures for the development of a safety management system
3 Presentation
Students will form groups of 3-4 and jointly create a presentation that compares/contrasts the implementation status of SMS from each of their respective organisations that they used for their report in Assessment 2. Presentations should be no more than 10 minutes and will be delivered in-class in Week 12.
Your presentation should summarise the key points of each organisation's SMS, using CASA's SMS framework as a reference. It should then highlight the commonalities across all of the SMS programs, as well as any notable differences (including any context that helps to explain any observed differences). It should conclude with a discussion of the challenges of taking safety theory and applying it to practical SMS implementation.
This assessment is exempted from the 72-hour submission grace period and must be completed by the stated submission date/time.
AI ASSESSMENT SCALE - NO AI
You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
Due in class during Week 12
You will be assessed on:
- Quality and clarity of the descriptions of the SMS programs (10 points)
- Depth of the comparison between them and with reference to CASA materials (10 points)
- Presentation skills, including balanced contributions among all team members and addressing any questions (10 points)
Examples of different levels of quality for each category will be provided on Moodle.
- Analyse the elements of a safety management system in an aviation environment
- Evaluate organisational structures, accountabilities, policies and procedures for the development of a safety management system
- Research information on state safety programs and safety management systems
- Critique a safety management system.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
