Building a Safety Culture

About the Certification

This certification confirms a thorough understanding of safety management principles within the UAS sector. The recipient has demonstrated expertise in safety policies, hazard identification, risk assessment, and risk mitigation. Key areas of focus include fostering a "just culture," utilizing data to drive safety assurance, and applying quality assurance practices to enhance aviation safety.

Skills You'll Gain:

• Safety Management
• Policy Development
• Accident Causation & Investigation
• Quality Assurance
• And More!

Great For:

• Mid-level employees or individuals seeking to advance in the unmanned aviation industry
• Newly hired staff working for Part 135 or Part 108 Operators

Certification Process

Step 1: Optional Completion of the Prep Course

The online course has 150 hours of content, including explanation videos, practice exams, and original content developed by our team of experts.

Step 2: Take the exam

The independent, third-party exam is proctored online or in-person and consists of 70 multiple-choice questions. Participants have 1.5 hours to complete the exam and must achieve a 80% or greater score to earn the certification. Individuals are allowed up to three attempts to pass. Accommodations are available as needed.

Step 3: Maintain your certification

Certification is valid for 24 months; recertification is accomplished by completing recurrent training.

NOTE: Curriculum is available through USI to prepare for the exam but is not required to sit for the proctored certification exam. Recertification is assessed by a third-party, independent provider.

What You'll Learn in the Prep Course

The preparatory course consists of five modules:

Module 1: Explores accident causation models, including the Domino Theory, Swiss Cheese Model, HFACS, 5M Model, and STAMP. Covers the core components of a Safety Management System (SMS), such as safety policy, risk management, safety assurance, and safety promotion. The importance of standardized processes and the risks of practical drift will be emphasized.

Module 2: Focuses on developing an effective safety policy, outlining key steps like assigning safety roles, building a just culture, and establishing fair procedures for addressing unsafe acts. Topics include the creation of a safety management team and the roles of Emergency Response Plans and Safety Management Manuals within the SMS.

Module 3: Covers hazard identification, risk assessment, risk control, and ongoing monitoring. It explains different levels of responsibility for risk management (strategic, deliberate, and time-critical) and demonstrates how to use a risk matrix. The module also explores risk mitigation strategies, including the use of physical, procedural, and administrative barriers, and introduces the Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) for assessing flight-related hazards.

Module 4: Examines safety performance monitoring and compliance within UAS organizations. The module highlights safety audits as essential tools for evaluating practices and identifying improvements. It covers incident investigations, root cause analysis techniques like the 5 Why Diagram and Ishikawa Diagram, and systems-based causal analysis. The Management of Change (MOC) process and the PDCA cycle for continuous improvement are discussed in relation to safety assurance.

Module 5: Focuses on effectively communicating safety knowledge within an UAS organization. Students will learn about safety training, understanding SMS operations, and human/organizational factors. It differentiates between safety and job training, explains the Training Needs Assessment process, and discusses core regulatory training and specialized safety-related tasks. Safety communication strategies and building a positive safety culture are key topics.

Delivery Format

• This is an online, self-paced, and instructor-supported course.
• The course materials are provided online via USI’s Learning Management System.
• Instructor sessions are delivered using Microsoft Teams.
• You will have 12 months to complete the course and exam, which starts from the date you purchase the course.

Career Pathways

This course is part of the following pathways:

• Professional Remote Operator (PRO®) Pathway
• UAS Maintenance Technician (UMXT®) Pathway