Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Codes of practice
Where reference is made to industry codes of practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used
Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements
Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements may include:
Australian and international standards such as:
AS/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
AS/NZS ISO 9000 Set:2008 Quality management systems set
OHS national standards and codes of practice
Ethical and professional work performance
Ethical and professional work performance includes:
following enterprise policy and procedures, regulations and legislation
behaving honestly and openly
respecting others and treating them with courtesy and impartiality
working diligently and responsibly
ensuring confidentiality of information, including client identification and test results
ensuring proprietary rights, intellectual property and copyright are protected
clarifying personal values and ethics and analysing how they impinge on actions in the workplace
Workplace activities
Workplace activities may include:
setup and pre-use checks of laboratory equipment
calibration status checks
sampling and testing following standard procedures
maintenance and cleaning tasks
Workplace procedures
Workplace procedures may include:
standard operating procedures (SOPs)
job cards, batch cards and production schedules
job descriptions
methods, recipes, procedures and protocols
Problem solving
Problem solving may include:
accessing relevant documentation
identifying inputs and outputs
sequencing a process
identifying and rectifying a problem step
obtaining timely help
implementing preventative strategies wherever possible
Teams
Teams may:
be ongoing with responsibility for particular services or functions
be project based
have a mixture of full and part-time employees and contractors, laboratory, construction and production personnel
be separated by distance and work at sites outside laboratory facilities
Team operation
Team operation may occur within:
small, medium and large contexts
internal and external environments
enterprise guidelines covering access and equity principles and practices, licensing requirements, industrial awards, enterprise bargaining agreements and codes of practice
agreed responsibility and accountability requirements
appropriate goals, objectives
given resource parameters
Team tasks
Team tasks may vary according to:
the size of enterprise
the scope of the laboratory
their level of responsibility
Strategies to maintain work flow
Strategies to maintain work flow may include:
communicating critical events on shift
recognising shortages in reagents and problems with equipment
communicating quality breakdowns
recognising urgent and abnormal results to be processed
communicating and behaving in a courteous manner
being punctual
Occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental management requirements
OHS and environmental management requirements:
all operations must comply with enterprise OHS and environmental management requirements, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation - these requirements must not be compromised at any time
all operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied
where relevant, users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and State and Territory Departments of Health

EVIDENCE GUIDE
The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Assessors should ensure that candidates can:
follow workplace procedures to achieve quality outcomes within timelines
identify and resolve work problems
work effectively with team members and promote cooperation and good relations
prioritise activities and recognise potential disruptions or changed circumstances and modify the work plan in conjunction with relevant personnel.

Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.
This unit of competency may be assessed with:
MSL913001A Communicate with other people
MSL943002A Participate in laboratory/field workplace safety
technical units related to the tasks undertaken.
Resources may include:
enterprise procedures, equipment and materials for relevant technical tasks.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of a flowchart prepared by the candidate to show efficient sequencing of tasks
observation of the candidate performing a range of technical tasks over sufficient time to demonstrate their handling of a variety of contingencies
review of documents detailing completed tasks, such as completed job cards, a report or suggestions for quality improvement
feedback from peers and team members
feedback from supervisors
written or oral questions to partly assess the candidate's ability to handle a range of contingencies and work in a team environment.
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.
Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.
Access must be provided to appropriate learning and/or assessment support when required.
The language, literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work like environment.

This competency in practice
Industry representatives have provided the case studies below to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and show its relevance in a workplace setting.
Manufacturing
A plastic processing plant had to halt production because of a suspect raw material. The plant manager immediately requested the polymer testing laboratory to test and identify all batches of polypropylene additives and colouring agents. The laboratory team of three assistants and one technical officer allocated the workload amongst themselves to conduct the twelve different tests within a period of four hours to identify the 'out of specification' materials and report them to the production supervisor. All laboratory assistants had to reschedule their workplan, perform the required tests and assist each other to solve the production problem.
Biomedical
As part of a routine sequence, a technical officer is required to perform a series of tasks, including the calibration of instruments required for testing of blood samples. These tasks are to be completed within a specified timeframe to meet the output requirements of the enterprise. During the calibration of one of the instruments, the technician experiences difficulties that require expert technical assistance. The problem is referred to the appropriate person and is quickly resolved. Consequently, the officer is able to complete all necessary tasks within the prescribed timeframe and the required output is maintained.
Food processing
Each of the technical assistants working in the laboratory of a food processing company was dedicated to performing specific analyses. As a result, they often alternated between periods of inactivity and excessive workload (the latter case had the potential to compromise their health and safety and the accuracy of their food analyses). One of the contributing factors to the periods of intense activity was the need to quickly prepare standard solutions and reagents. The team discussed this problem and agreed that while it was not appropriate for each assistant to become competent to perform every analytical procedure, it was feasible for each person to be able to prepare solutions and reagents used by others. The team developed a central register in which impending shortages of these materials was noted. Each assistant referred to this register when no other work was due and prepared the materials on a 'first in, first out' basis unless a task was given a priority rating. The team found that this strategy more evenly distributed the workload over their shift, improved safety in the laboratory and reduced the risk of error.