Elements and Performance Criteria

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 in the Performance Criteria is detailed below.

OHS requirements:
are to be in accordance with applicable federal, state or territory legislation and regulations, and organisational safety policies and procedures, and may include:
PPE and clothing
safety equipment
first aid equipment
firefighting equipment
hazard and risk control
fatigue management
appropriate signage
elimination of hazardous materials and substances
safe forest practices, including required actions relating to fire
techniques for manual handling, including shifting, lifting and carrying

Legislative requirements:
are to be in accordance with applicable federal, state or territory legislation, regulations, certification requirements and codes of practice and may include:
award and organisational agreements
industrial relations
Australian standards
confidentiality and privacy
OHS
the environment
native vegetation
equal employment opportunity
anti-discrimination
relevant industry codes of practice
duty of care
heritage and traditional landowner issues

Organisational requirements mayinclude:
legal compliance documentation
organisational and site guidelines
policies and procedures relating to own role and responsibility
procedural manuals
quality and continuous improvement processes and standards
OHS, emergency and evacuation procedures
ethical standards
recording and reporting requirements
equipment use, maintenance and storage requirements
environmental management requirements, including waste disposal, recycling and re-use guidelines

Trees typical to the scope of this unit may include the following characteristics:
lean and weight distribution that adds significant complexity yet can be assessed and adapted to site requirements
larger dimensions relative to local forest size distribution
substantial lean
damage or defect that requires complex felling techniques
multi-legged, hollow butts, culls and stags
species prone to free splitting and adverse reactions during felling
a crown that contains dead or broken material, entanglement or malformation and presents a hazardous and difficult situation for assessment, monitoring and safe felling
single or complex multi-stems
diameter of tree greater than chainsaw bar length
grown on terrain and slope that can add significant complexity to the operation

Environmental protection measures may include:
action to limit the impact to:
native vegetation
soil and water
heritage and archeological artefacts
flora and fauna
geomorphologic features
landscape
external site pollution
recreational opportunities
regeneration opportunities

Job requirements may include:
information and instructions relevant to tree-felling operations, including processing location details and trees to be felled and retained
general environmental requirements
site plan and environmental features

Appropriate personnel may include:
supervisors
clients
colleagues
managers

Tools and equipment may include:
warning signs
chainsaw and components
PPE and clothing
first aid equipment
maintenance requirements
support tools

Hazards may include:
uneven and unstable terrain
unsafe trees
fires
overhead and underground services
excavations
traffic
structures
hazardous materials
insects and animals
other personnel and machinery

Communication may include:
verbal and non-verbal language
hand or other agreed signals
eye contact with other operators or personnel
active listening and questioning to clarify and confirm understanding
electronic communication devices

Environmental conditions may relate to:
ground growth
canopy
general tree lean
ground slope
ground hazards
wind speed and direction

Limitations may relate to:
job role and responsibilities
own competency level
industry requirements
own understanding of risk identification processes
own interpretation of legislation, regulations and procedures
complying with OHS requirements

Trees considered outside own skill level include:
trees that contain hazards and are deemed unsafe
trees where cuts made may lead to loss of control of tree in felling

Techniques:
will include:
scarf cutting
back cutting to provide hinge-wood and maintain control of tree
may include:
use of wedges to assist in controlling falling direction

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.
Overview of assessment
A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence that they can assess, plan and safely and efficiently operate chainsaw equipment to manually fell trees at an advanced level in a forest environment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all of the requirements of the elements of this unit and include demonstration of:
compliance with applicable federal, state or territory legislative and regulatory requirements and codes of practice relevant to felling trees manually at an advanced level
compliance with applicable licensing or certification requirements relevant to felling trees manually at an advanced level
effective communication and safe working practices, including maintaining an awareness of other personnel activity in the work area
Identifying and describe key features of structural defects and stresses in trees and the impact on
conducting a tree assessment, and planning and undertaking advanced tree felling within the range of variables for trees and conditions
planning felling sequence for individual trees and preparing surroundings including escape route
felling a range of advanced trees using a range of cuts safely without damage to personnel, equipment and surrounding environment
selecting, preparing and maintaining appropriate tools and equipment and recognising faults, problems and malfunctions

Context of and specific resources for assessment
Competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a realistically simulated workplace
Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints
Assessment of essential underpinning knowledge, other than confirmatory questions, will usually be conducted in an off-site context
Assessment is to comply with relevant regulatory requirements and Australian standards
The following resources should be made available:
workplace location or simulated workplace
materials and equipment relevant to undertaking work applicable to this unit
specifications and work instructions

Method of assessment
Assessment methods must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the FPI11 Training Package
Assessment methods must confirm consistency and accuracy of performance (over time and in a range of workplace relevant contexts) together with application of underpinning knowledge
Assessment must be by direct observation of tasks, with questioning on underpinning knowledge and it must also reinforce the integration of employability skills
Assessment methods must confirm the ability to access, interpret and apply the essential underpinning knowledge
Assessment must confirm a reasonable inference that competency is able not only to be satisfied under the particular circumstance, but is able to be transferred to other circumstances
Assessment may be in conjunction with assessment of other units of competency
The assessment environment should not disadvantage the candidate
Assessment practices should take into account any relevant language or cultural issues related to Aboriginality, gender or language backgrounds other than English
Where the participant has a disability, reasonable adjustment may be applied during assessment
Language and literacy demands of the assessment task should not be higher than those of the work role