Elements and Performance Criteria

Health Care sites includes:
Hospitals
Nursing homes
Clinics
Community settings
Home settings

Waste categories include:
Clinical waste
Body fluids, blood, suctioned fluids, excretions
Sharps
Cytotoxic waste
Pharmaceutical waste
Chemical waste
Radioactive waste
Organic products
Liquid waste
General waste

Equipment includes, but is not limited to:
Barriers and warning signs
Spill kits
Mobile garbage bins and trolleys
Appropriate waste containers

Potential risks and hazards include, but are not limited to:
Risks and hazards that could lead to injury or illness of employees, contractors, visitors or the public
Damage to plant
Vehicles or property
Harm the environment
Manual handling
Contamination
Compaction equipment
Gases and fumes
Hazardous waste eg sharps

Emergency and personal protective equipment may include:
Gloves
Overalls and protective clothing
Eye protection
Appropriate footwear
Fire extinguisher
First aid Kit
Spill Kit
Emergency Procedures Guide
Material Safety Data Sheet information
Breathing apparatus
Face shield or mask
Hearing protection

Waste characteristics include:
Waste streams
Waste types
Waste generation
Disposal methods
Recycling
Reuse
Contamination

Cleaning could include:
Shovelling
Sweeping out
Vacuuming
Use of decontamination products
Water hosing
Cleaning products/fluids

Supervisor may be:
Nominated personnel
Occupational health and safety nominee

Work instructions may be:
Given verbally
Written
In English
In community language
Provided visually on video, instructions sheets

Workplace procedures may include:
Cleaning procedures
Quality activities
Team meetings
Incident notification
Work performance requirements
Infection control practices

Critical aspects of evidence to be considered:
Evidence of competency with include:
Appropriate interpretation of job requirements
Organisation of work areas and waste containers
Selection of appropriate emergency and personal protective equipment
Identification of potential risks, hazards to waste handling and waste non- conformances

Critical underpinning knowledge includes:
Waste types, streams and characteristics
Site waste management processes
Workplace waste management plans
Waste contaminants
Waste non conformance procedures
Potential risks and hazards to waste sorting and containment
Sorting and transporting techniques
Containment methods
Emergency response procedures
Workplace requirements
Occupational health and safety requirements
Duty of care in provision of waste handling activities
Relevant industry standards
Relevant legislation
Relevant environmental regulations
Infection control guidelines

Critical underpinning skills includes:
Communication, including: interpersonal; listening; questioning; following instructions; clear labelling; giving information
Identification of waste streams/types/characteristics
Reading and interpreting work requirements
Organising equipment availability
Equipment operation
Materials handling skills
Identification of waste types
Identify and handle waste non conformances
Packaging and containment of waste
Methodical organisation of work
Safe and efficient work practices
Use emergency and personal protective equipment

Resource implications:
Waste collection requirements
Waste management plans
Range of wastes for identification and handling
Workplace policies and procedures
OHS requirements
Personal protective equipment
Equipment for waste handling

Consistency in performance:
Assessment may include observations, questioning and evidence gathered from the workplace environment
Assessment may require a variety of sites and waste characteristics that reflect different needs within the work environment
Assessment may be conducted on one occasion but should include normal range of workplace activities
Regular assessment of manual handling implications should be carried out on all tasks, particularly when:
Introduced
Changed
New personnel are inducted

Context of assessment:
This unit is most appropriately assessed in the workplace or in a simulated workplace and under the normal range of workplace conditions.
Reassessment to accommodate changing workplace requirements and in accordance with the policies of the organisation.