Course

Ethical Culture in Practice

Starts Jul 6, 2026

$1,804 Enrol

Full course description

About this course

This course has been developed through a partnership between Griffith University and Qantas, as part of the Safety Academy by Qantas Group. This collaboration enables a rich integration of theory and practice, offering a learning experience grounded in both academic insight and industry expertise.

Throughout the course, you’ll hear from a range of subject matter experts from academia and industry, all contributing to your development as a safety professional and leader.

It’s designed for leaders who want to move beyond compliance and positively influence the conditions, relationships, and cultural norms that shape safety every day.

You’ll begin by exploring psychosocial workplace factors—understanding legal responsibilities, duty holders, and the organisational conditions that protect wellbeing. You’ll learn how psychosocial safety climate (PSC) influences trust, risk, and performance, and how leaders can strengthen it through practical action.

This micro-credential is part of a broader suite of courses being developed within the Safety Academy by Qantas Group, aimed at upskilling safety professionals and cultivating effective safety leaders.

The exciting part of this course is that it can stand alone or be the first step in a broader learning journey.

This course is Part B of the Ethical Safety Leadership course package and can be completed on its own. For those who would like to extend their learning, completing Foundations of Ethical Safety Leadership will enable you to earn a digital badge and receive credit towards the Graduate Certificate in Safety Leadership. The two courses are designed to be flexible, so you can complete them at different times to suit your schedule.

Commencing
Mon 6th July 2026
Online
6-weeks
3 modules
Including assessment
$1,804
GST Inclusive

Course Snapshot

Overview

The course examines what it means to be a virtuous safety leader. You’ll begin by exploring psychosocial workplace factors—understanding legal responsibilities, duty holders, and the organisational conditions that protect wellbeing. You’ll learn how psychosocial safety climate (PSC) influences trust, risk, and performance, and how leaders can strengthen it through practical action.

Building on this foundation, the course examines what it means to be a virtuous safety leader. You’ll explore how modern safety thinking (including Safety‑II and resilience engineering) demands forward‑looking accountability, integrity, and moral courage—especially when outcomes are uncertain.

Finally, you’ll dive into restorative just culture: an approach that emphasises fairness, learning, and relationship‑building over blame. You’ll learn how to respond to incidents in ways that strengthen trust and create transparency, even in challenging environments influenced by blame, discipline, or criminalisation.

 

What core topics are offered?

The micro-credential consists of three (3) modules designed to build a thorough understanding of legal and ethical safety issues:

  • Psychosocial Workplace Management: This module examines the connections between safety culture, industrial relations, legal frameworks, and psychosocial risk management. Participants will explore the roles of unions, management, and regulators in shaping safety performance and organisational resilience. The module also addresses duty holders’ legal responsibilities under WHS laws, including consultation and training requirements. 
  • Become a Virtuous Safety Leader: The two topics that make up this module will start to help leaders move the moral dial and help them start doing it now. Moral leaders don’t typically measure the worth of their initiatives in terms of their chances of success. Instead, the worth of their initiatives lies in their integrity; in how the initiatives embody their deepest values and beliefs.  
  • Just Culture: This module explores the principles of restorative just culture and its role in shaping ethical safety leadership. It highlights how fostering a culture of accountability, learning, and trust—rather than blame—can promote ethical behaviour and continuous improvement in safety performance.
Who is this course suited to?

This course is ideal for leaders shaping culture, HR/WHS partners, and anyone committed to ethical, future‑focused safety leadership.

What are the course credentials?

Participants who complete this micro-credential will earn a certificate of completion. Participants who package this course together with Foundations of Ethical Safety Leadership (study both courses) will be eligible to receive a digital badge to recognise their achievement, demonstrating to employers and peers the skills and knowledge acquired. Participants that complete both this course and Foundations of Ethical Safety Leadership will also earn 10 credit points (CP) that contribute toward the Graduate Certificate in Safety Leadership at Griffith University. 

What does my course schedule look like?

This 6-week online course is structured for flexible, self-paced learning and is hosted on Griffith University's Learning Management System. The course includes:

  • Rich content featuring videos, readings, case studies, and activities.
  • Optional interactive webinars for deeper discussion, potentially featuring Qantas subject matter experts.
  • Assessments that involve workplace analysis and scenario-based tasks to reinforce practical understanding and direct application of course material.
Who are the course facilitators?

Lead academic, Sidney Dekker, is a Professor in the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science. Sidney has founded the Safety Science Innovation Lab in 2012, which introduced ‘Safety Differently’ and ‘Restorative Just Culture’. Both have inspired global movements for change and undergird Griffith University's highly popular Graduate Certificate in Safety Leadership. Please CLICK HERE for Professor Sidney Dekker.