FAR and DFARS › DFARS Part 252: Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses › Subpart 252.2

DFARS 252.209-7010 Critical Safety Items.

The codified text (eCFR, as of 2026-10-02). Under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul ↗, agencies follow class deviations with new text for many parts while the formal rules go through the Federal Register: check the solicitation and your contract's clauses, which rule.

In plain English

This DFARS clause defines aviation and ship critical safety items and identifies which items under the contract have been designated as such by the design control activity. Those designated items are subject to heightened, risk-based quality assurance surveillance. It matters because contractors supplying these items face closer government oversight of quality.

Applies to: Contractors supplying aviation or ship critical safety items under this contract

Key terms: aviation critical safety item · ship critical safety item · design control activity · heightened quality assurance surveillance · designated quality assurance representative

Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.

The text

As prescribed in 209.270-5, use the following clause:

Critical Safety Items (AUG 2011)

(a) Definitions.

Aviation critical safety item means a part, an assembly, installation equipment, launch equipment, recovery equipment, or support equipment for an aircraft or aviation weapon system if the part, assembly, or equipment contains a characteristic any failure, malfunction, or absence of which could cause—

(i) A catastrophic or critical failure resulting in the loss of, or serious damage to, the aircraft or weapon system;

(ii) An unacceptable risk of personal injury or loss of life; or

(iii) An uncommanded engine shutdown that jeopardizes safety.

Design control activity. (i) With respect to an aviation critical safety item, means the systems command of a military department that is specifically responsible for ensuring the airworthiness of an aviation system or equipment, in which an aviation critical safety item is to be used; and

(ii) With respect to a ship critical safety item, means the systems command of a military department that is specifically responsible for ensuring the seaworthiness of a ship or ship equipment, in which a ship critical safety item is to be used.

Ship critical safety item means any ship part, assembly, or support equipment containing a characteristic, the failure, malfunction, or absence of which could cause—

(i) A catastrophic or critical failure resulting in loss of, or serious damage to, the ship; or

(ii) An unacceptable risk of personal injury or loss of life.

(b) Identification of critical safety items. One or more of the items being procured under this contract is an aviation or ship critical safety item. The following items have been designated aviation critical safety items or ship critical safety items by the designated design control activity:

(Insert additional lines as necessary)

(c) Heightened quality assurance surveillance. Items designated in paragraph (b) of this clause are subject to heightened, risk-based surveillance by the designated quality assurance representative.

(End of clause)

Sections it refers to

Sections that refer to it

← 252.209-7009 Organizational Conflict of Interest—Major Defense Acquisition Program. · 252.209-7011 Representation for Restriction on the Use of Certain Institutions of Higher Education. →

Rule changes for DFARS Part 252

Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.

DFARS 252.209-7010 Critical Safety Items · SpendQuery