Elements and Performance Criteria

The range of variables relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that will affect performance.
Where reference is made to industry Codes of Practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used.
Personnel work in accordance with work instructions and standard operating procedures which incorporate all relevant aspects of OHS legislation and the codes, guidelines, regulations and Australian standards applying to environmental hazards and dangerous goods.

Regulations, codes and standards may include
AS 2243 Safety in laboratories
AS 2500 Storage of goods
AS 2503 Safety storage and handling of information cards
AS 2982 Hand washing facilities
SAA HB9 Occupational personal protection, and other relevant standards for protective, clothing (for example, AS 2161, AS 2210, AS 1337 and AS 1338)
AS 4187 Code of Practice for cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising reusable medical and surgical instruments and equipment, and maintenance of associated environments in health care facilities.

The range of equipment may include
balance
pH meter
hot plate stirrer, bunsen burners
autoclave, Arnold steamer
membrane filtration equipment
measuring cylinders, flasks and glass ware, petri dishes
distilled water apparatus
automatic agar pourers
labelling equipment
refrigerators
sterilisation indicators
self refilling syringes
Falcon dishes
media storage bottles, tissue culture bottles.

Workplace information may include
standard operating procedures (SOPs)
client and product specifications
Australian Quarantine Inspection Service requirements for safe disposal of plates and media
operation and maintenance manuals for automated media preparation equipment
production schedules and instructions
material safety data sheets (MSDSs)
good laboratory practice (GLP) and good manufacturing practice (GMP) manuals
manufacturer's instructions or verbal direction from laboratory manager, supervisor or senior technician
Food Standards Code Australia and New Zealand.
Media may be prepared from formulated powders obtained from microbiological companies or from first principles under supervision of a technical officer or scientist.

Cell and tissue culture media may include
agars
broths
solutions
slopes
basic balanced salt solutions, such as Hank's or Kreb-Ringer's
deeps
enriched media, such as blood sugar, chocolate agar, tetrathionate broth, selenite broth
control media
differential media, such as eosin-methylene blue agar, MacConkey's agar.
selective media, such as deoxycholate-citrate agar, Lowenstein-Jensen medium
tissue culture media
labile constituents, such as include blood, hormones or antibodies.
Sterilisation techniques could include autoclaving, steam and membrane filtration, boiling, microwaving, radiation, high temperature, high pressure steam, gas and chemical treatments.
Quality control checks include streaking out of cultures to a single colony and lawn cultures.

Hazards may include
micro-organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products, human or animal tissue and fluids
sources of heat, such as ovens, burners, autoclaves
sharps, broken glassware
fluids under pressure, such as steam
radiation used for sterilisation.

Safe work practices may include
use of material safety data sheets (MSDSs)
use of personal protective equipment, such as safety glasses, gloves and coveralls
use of biohazard containers and laminar flow cabinets
correct labelling of reagents and hazardous materials
handling and storing hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labels, MSDS, manufacturer's instructions, enterprise procedures and regulations
regular cleaning and/or decontaminating equipment and work areas.

Health, safety and environment
All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environmental (HSE) requirements, which may be imposed through State or Federal legislation, and these must not be compromised at any time. Where there is an apparent conflict between performance criteria and HSE requirements, the HSE requirements take precedence.
All operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied. Users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council and State and Territory Departments of Health. All operations are performed in accordance with standard operating procedures.

The Evidence Guide describes the underpinning knowledge and skills that must be demonstrated to prove competence.
Critical aspects of competency

Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard. In particular, assessors should look to see that the candidate:

uses appropriate personal protective equipment
uses a vessel large enough to endure adequate mixing and heating of the media
prevents cross contamination
follows enterprise procedures consistently
confirms sterility of media, by using appropriate sterilisation techniques
maintains adequate space between containers to ensure efficient sterilisation
allows the chamber pressure of the autoclave to return to zero and temperature to cool to 80-90 DegreesC before opening autoclave door to prevent boil over or plugs/caps being blown off flasks or tubes
carries out post sterilisation procedures, such as dispensing or adding using aseptic technique
ensures the sterilised media has cooled down sufficiently to ensure that heat labile constituents, such as blood, hormones or antibodies are not inactivated when added to the media
selects media suitable for isolating and/or growth of a specified organism
labels and store culture media according to enterprise procedures
accurately records data
reports non-compliance, anomalies or out-of-specification results
sorts, collects, treats, recycles or disposes of waste
demonstrates ability of media to support growth of relevant micro-organism or tissue.

Underpinning knowledge

Competency includes the ability to apply and explain:

the relationship between the correct preparation of culture media and the optimal growth of organisms or cells
the purpose and features of culture media
nature, properties and use of range of biological media
accurate measuring techniques
mathematical skills to calculate mass and volume
the relationship between sterile practices, hygiene procedures and the ability to obtain growth free of contamination
temperature control requirements
basic microbiological concepts and terminology, including growth rates in culture, production of gas and haemolysis of red cells in media
the importance of physical requirements, such as pH and isotonicity on optimal growth of organisms and cells
importance of D, L isomers in media ingredients
methods for purifying water for use in the preparation of culture media
role of cell growth regulators/inhibitors in the culture medium
role of macronutrients and micronutrients in the culture medium
the effect of inappropriate storage on culture media quality and performance
cleaning and sanitising requirements of equipment and work area
relevant health, safety and environment requirements.

Assessment context and methods
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.

The following assessment methods are suggested:

review of quality assurance results and examination of batches of media prepared by the candidate
observation of the candidate preparing culture media
written and/or oral questioning to assess underpinning knowledge
In all cases, practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly. Questioning techniques should suit the language and literacy levels of the candidate.

Interdependent assessment of unit

This unit of competency may be assessed with:

PMLOHS302A Participate in laboratory/field workplace safety.
PMLTEST305B Perform aseptic techniques.

Resource implications

Resources may include:

work schedule and enterprise procedures, including advice on safe work practices
relevant equipment and personal protective equipment
material safety data sheets (MSDSs).

This competency in practice
A laboratory assistant's task was to prepare and pour agar plates in readiness for milk sampling. The assistant collected all the equipment and material needed to make an agar plate and ensured the working area was suitably prepared. The agar solution was carefully prepared and poured into a large conical flask prior to sterilisation in the autoclave. On completion of the sterilisation cycle, the agar was cooled to 42 DegreesC in a water bath. It was then poured into the plates after flaming the neck of the flask. The lids were quickly replaced on the plates to minimise contamination. The plates were then stored. Any excess plates were bagged in a laminar flow unit and then placed in the fridge. The equipment was hot washed and the benches swabbed with 70% ethanol solution.
Media preparation is a routine task of the technical assistant. The methods and standard procedures are all documented but common working knowledge and standard 'don'ts' are not always written into the methods. Some ingredients, such as labile nutrients and antibiotics must be added under sterile conditions after the basic ingredients have been mixed and autoclaved. In one laboratory there is a list of ingredients not to be autoclaved posted on the notice board, in the media recipe book and for good measure on the autoclave itself. One day, a technical assistant who was preparing media added all the ingredients, including the glucose, then autoclaved all 20L of it. The technical assistant learned the consequences of not paying full attention to the procedure the hard way and spent most of the day removing the ' toffee' residue from inside the autoclave!

The seven key competencies represent generic skills considered for effective work participation. The bracketed numbering against each of the key competencies indicates the performance level required in this unit. These are stand-alone levels and do not correspond to levels in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
Level (1) represents the competence to undertake tasks effectively
Level (2) represents the competence to manage tasks
Level (3) represents the competence to use concepts for evaluating and reshaping tasks.
Communicating ideas and information
(1)

Collecting analysing and organising information
(1)

Planning and organising activities
(1)

Working with others and in teams
(1)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
(1)

Solving problems
(1)

Using technology
(1)