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 in the performance criteria is detailed below. Add any 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.
Signs of disease or a plant pest may include:
abnormality
clinical signs
decline and dieback
insect damage or presence of insects
mortalities and mode of death
presence of highly specific vectors
results of post-mortem examinations
unexplained levels of morbidity or mortality in populations.
Unusual diseases or plant pests may include:
disease that is classified as an emergency disease
disease that presents in an unusual, uncommon or atypical form
plant pest species, biotype or strain of invertebrate pest or pathogen injurious to plants or plant health.
Appropriate authorities may include:
national disease watch hotlines
property owner or manager
regulatory officers from state and territory departments of Primary Industries, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Overview of assessment
Assessment for this unit of competency may be undertaken on or off the job. The unit could be assessed on its own or in combination with other units of competency relevant to the job function, such as RTE4409A Carry out field surveillance for a specific emergency disease or plant pest.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
The critical requirements for this unit of competency as a whole are listed below.
Assessment must confirm one's ability to:
identify unusual disease or pest signs within one's own experience
notify appropriate authorities where appropriate
implement appropriate biosecurity measures.
Context and specific resources for assessment
For valid assessment, one must have opportunities to participate in a range of exercises, case studies and other real and simulated practical and knowledge assessments that demonstrate the skills and knowledge required to identify and report unusual disease or plant pest signs.
The candidate must also have access to resources such as photographs of signs of emergency and endemic diseases and of plant pests.
Guidance information for assessment
To ensure consistency in one's performance, competency should be demonstrated on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances, cases and responsibilities, and where possible, over a number of assessment activities.
The skills and knowledge required to identify and report unusual disease or plant pest signs must be transferable to a range of work environments and contexts, including the ability to deal with unplanned events. For example, this could include a range of diseases for a particular species or a variety of pests.