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 1678 Emergency procedure guide -Transport
AS 2252 Biological safety cabinets
AS ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
AS/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set
AS/NZS 2982.1:1997 Laboratory design and construction - General requirements
AS/NZS 4187:2003 Cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising reusable medical and surgical instruments and equipment, and maintenance of associated environments in health care facilities
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
AS/NZS ISO 9000 Set:2008 Quality management systems set
Australian code of good manufacturing practice for medicinal products (GMP)
Australian Dangerous Goods Code
client and product specifications
enterprise procedures, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and quality assurance procedures
gene technology regulations
Guide to physical containment levels and facility types
HB 9-1994 Occupational personal protection
laboratory manuals
manufacturer's instructions or verbal direction from laboratory manager, supervisor or senior technician
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
National Code of Practice for the labelling of workplace substances [NOHSC:2012 (1994)]
occupational health and safety (OHS) national standards and codes of practice
operation and maintenance manuals for automated media preparation equipment
quality assurance procedures
principles of good laboratory practice (GLP)
production schedules and instructions
Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1009
verified test methods
Hazards
Hazards may include:
biohazards, such as infectious agents and oncogenic DNA
chemical and radiation hazards
allergenic factors
cryogenic liquids, such as nitrogen
heat from burners and molten agar
ultraviolet (UV) light
sharps
contaminated clothing
Hazard control measures
Hazard control measures may include:
ensuring access to service shut-off points
recognising and observing hazard warnings and safety signs
labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials
handling and storage of hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labelling, MSDS and manufacturer's instructions
identifying and reporting operating problems or equipment malfunctions
cleaning and decontaminating equipment and work areas regularly using enterprise procedures
using personal protective clothing and equipment, such as gloves, safety glasses, coveralls, gowns, body suits and respirators
using containment facilities (PCII, PCIII and PCIV physical containment laboratories), containment equipment (biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets) and containment procedures
reporting abnormal emissions, discharges and airborne contaminants, such as noise, light, solids, liquids, water/waste water, gases, smoke, vapour, fumes, odour and particulates to appropriate personnel
Tissue culture equipment and facilities
Tissue culture equipment and facilities may include:
growth cabinets
culture vessels, growth chambers, sterile containers, culture plates, flasks and bottles
autoclaves
positive filtration apparatus
auto pipettes and pipette pumps
cell counting chambers
incubators, including specialised atmosphere and carbon dioxide
binocular inverted microscope
centrifuges
cryogenic vessels and transfer equipment, and liquid nitrogen
Selection criteria for media, materials and equipment
Selection criteria for media, materials and equipment may include:
costs
ease of cleaning or sterilisation
maintenance of cell growth
Pre-use checks
Pre-use checks include:
performing routine maintenance
checks on raw materials and consumables, including use by date, possible contamination and storage conditions
Cells and tissues
Cells and tissues may include:
animal cell lines, such as hybridoma, liver, epidermal, lymphoblastic and fibroblastic
plant cell lines, such as tobacco, arabidopsis, soya bean, tomato, roses and meristomatic tissue
yeasts
fungi
sperm, ova and embryos
adherent and suspension cultures
Preparing a primary culture
Preparing a primary culture may include:
thawing of cryopreserved cells and monitoring of cell recovery
enzymatic disaggregation from tissue
mechanical disaggregation from tissue
primary explant technique
pre-treatment
selection techniques, such as cloning, micromanipulation, use of selective media, density gradient centrifugation, selective adhesion techniques and selective detachment
Monitoring growth of tissue and cell lines
Monitoring growth of tissue and cell lines may include:
identification of normal and abnormal cells viewed using an inverted stereo microscope
recognition of contamination by cytopathic changes to cells, biochemical tests, gene detection and microbiological culture
testing for products, such as insulin
checking growth rates
performing viable cell counts, such as the dye exclusion test, Trypan Blue viability stain to determine percentage viability and total cell concentration
staining and assessment of morphology( e.g. by Giemsa)
karyotype analysis
Preservation of cell lines
Preservation of cell lines may include:
freezing
cryopreservation (dry ice and liquid nitrogen)
Records
Records may involve:
paper or laboratory information management systems (LIMS)
cataloguing of all cell lines
stock levels
viability test results
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:
work safely and satisfy all legal and regulatory requirements, including the use and care of safety cabinets
demonstrate chain of custody for all cells, cell lines and tissues
prepare, dilute and sterilise reagents and culture media that are fit for purpose
choose and justify appropriate media and substrate material based on cost, cleaning, sterilising and maintenance of cell growth
successfully passage cell cultures by subculturing
grow cell lines and tissue to specifications without contaminating the original sample and the environment
count cells, identify a wide range of cell types and contaminants and recognise normal and abnormal cells
monitor cell growth and recognise and troubleshoot problems, such as contamination
store cells so that they remain viable
maintain accurate, traceable records of cell lines and tissues and logs of procedures and work completed.

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:
MSL933001AMaintain the laboratory/field workplace fit for purpose.
Resources may include:
laboratory equipped with appropriate test equipment/instruments, standards and reagents
enterprise procedures and standard methods
relevant tissues and cell lines.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of records of cell lines and tissues produced by the candidate
periodic observation of the candidate establishing and maintaining viable cell lines
feedback from peers and supervisors to confirm that workplace procedures are consistently followed and that results meet workplace requirements
oral and/or written questioning.
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 to show its relevance in a workplace setting.
Biotechnology
A laboratory technical officer works at a research institute that genetically modifies myocardial cell lines to express Angiotensin II receptors and modify their action. Their role in the team is to grow the cells. This involves selecting the appropriate media, growth conditions and equipment and carefully monitoring cell growth. Each day, they visually check the cells and, when necessary, modify pH, temperature, buffering, osmolarity and substrates to enhance growth. The technical officer keeps accurate and legible records of cells, cell lines, tissues, observations and details of all modifications so that the team has a complete, reliable record of all work done.
Biomedical
A laboratory technical officer works at a metropolitan pathology laboratory. Their role is to prepare and use cell cultures for the initial isolation of viruses, such as the herpes simplex (HSV I and II). They routinely subculture human embryonic lung (HEL) cells using appropriate media, flasks and aseptic techniques in a Class II biohazard cabinet. They inoculate each flask with 0.1mL of patient swab washings and incubate them at 37°C for seven days. They also use appropriate positive and negative controls as required by the laboratory's quality assurance procedures. Each day, the technical officer examines the cell monolayer for distinctive changes (cytopathic effect). When the effect is detected, they seek confirmation of the changes from a senior technician. The flask is then sent for immunofluorescent testing to identify the virus isolate.