Unit Synopsis
This unit is designed to equip you with a comprehensive knowledge of contemporary trends in the regulation and management of health and safety in organisations. You will explore legal liability for health and safety and examine contemporary statutory developments regarding prevention. In addition, you will become acquainted with modern corporate governance and due diligence requirements which provide the impetus for the implementation of effective risk-based health and safety management and its integration with organisational business processes.
Details
| Level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 8 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
There are no pre-requisites for the unit.
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). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2026
Term 1 - 2027 Profile
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 Postgraduate 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.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Case Study | 40% |
| 2. Report | 30% |
| 3. Written Assessment | 30% |
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%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web 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.
Source: Discussion between unit coordinator and unit lecturers.
Review assessment.
The assessment will be reviewed to determine whether it is too complex for the unit.
As a new member of staff, I am actively reviewing all unit assessments to ensure they are suitable and at the correct AQF level.
Source: Discussion between unit coordinator and unit lecturers.
Inclusion of ALC
As the unit cohort is increasingly comprising Master of Public Health students, who take this unit as one of their electives, consideration will be given to including ALC sessions to outline and reinforce academic integrity matters and general assessment writing skills.
A number of the postgraduate-level units are experiencing an increase in public health students. This is currently being reviewed.
Source: General discussion with Students
Students reported that Assessment Task 1 lacked sufficient structure and detail to clearly communicate the task's academic expectations. At AQF‑8 level, assessment items must provide explicit guidance on the required depth of analysis, the theoretical and methodological frameworks to be applied, and the criteria by which performance will be evaluated. The current brief does not fully articulate these elements, which contributed to student uncertainty regarding how to meet postgraduate‑level standards.
A revision of the task description and rubric is recommended to better align them with AQF‑8 requirements. This should include clearer task scaffolding, explicit assessment criteria, and detailed instructions outlining the expected analytical processes, evidence standards, and scholarly conventions. Improving the task's clarity and structure will better support students in demonstrating advanced knowledge, critical reasoning, and academic communication skills consistent with AQF‑8 outcomes.
In Progress
Source: Self-reflection on previous AUER
The previous AUER recommended integrating ALC resources; however, the current offering did not incorporate them. Acknowledging this gap explicitly and outlining a clear plan to address it would strengthen the unit's continuous-improvement narrative.
It is recommended to explore including ALC aligned support in the 2027 offering particularly targeted guidance for completing assessments which would show responsiveness to assurance processes and give students structured skill‑development opportunities. Positioning this as a deliberate enhancement for the next iteration also aligns with my broader commitment to refining content delivery and ensuring materials are context‑responsive.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Interpret and apply legal concepts, processes and procedures relevant to liability for exposure to health and safety risks
- Apply the work health and safety regulatory framework to determine legal liability
- Outline the elements of an effective risk-based safety management system
- Design, develop and implement a risk-based safety management system
- Evaluate the effectiveness of a risk-based safety management system
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Case Study | • | • | |||
| 2 - Report | • | • | • | • | • |
| 3 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | ||
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | • | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Communication | • | • | • | • | • |
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | • | • | • | • | • |
| 4 - Research | • | • | • | • | • |
| 5 - Self-management | • | • | • | • | • |
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | • | • | • | • | • |
| 7 - Leadership | • | • | • | • | • |
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | • | • | • | • | • |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | |