Elements and Performance Criteria

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
Legislation, standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements
Legislation, standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements may include:
federal legislation, such as
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
state/territory government legislation and regulations and local government by-laws, policies, and plans dealing with issues, such as:
environmental protection
nature conservation, wildlife/plant protection, prevention of cruelty to animals and quarantine
codes of practice dealing with the care and use of animals for scientific purposes
Australian and international standards, such as:
AS/NZS 2243.3:2002 Safety in laboratories - Microbiological aspects and containment facilities
AS/NZS 4276 series Water microbiology
Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for fresh and marine water quality
American Public Health Association (APHA) Standard methods for examination of water and wastewater
cleaning, hygiene, personal hygiene requirements
enterprise procedures, standard operating procedures and operating manuals
incident and accident/injury reports
instructions to comply with new legislation, standards, guidelines and codes
quality system and continued improvement processes
safety requirements for equipment, materials or products and material safety data sheets (MSDS)
sampling procedures (labelling, preparation, storage, transport and disposal)
test procedures (validated and authorised)
waste minimisation, containment, processing and disposal procedures
Equipment, materials and systems
Equipment, materials and systems may include:
sampling equipment for different sample types and species, such as:
air samplers (e.g. for Legionella)
nets (e.g. for plankton)
sediment samplers
soli samplers (e.g. Niskin and Nansen)
protective and physical containment facilities and equipment for safe handling of microorganisms, including personal protective equipment, such as gloves, gowns, masks and safety glasses, and gloves for working with extremes of heat and cold
carbon dioxide cabinets and incubators
transfer equipment, such as inoculating loops, pipettes (quantitative and qualitative), flasks, tubes and spatulas
liquid nitrogen containers for cell storage
filtration membranes
microscopes with bright field and other relevant illumination systems and stereomicroscopes
counting chambers for micro-enumeration
colony counting devices
Bunsen burners and bench incinerators
incubators and water baths
anaerobic jars, fermentation chambers, continuous culture systems and other devices for controlling growth environments of microorganisms
laboratory information management systems (LIMS), reference databases, record and filing systems
stains, media, reagents and biological materials necessary for laboratory testing
laboratory glassware and measuring equipment
disinfecting and sterilising solutions and equipment, such as ultraviolet (UV) lamps
materials suitable for the safe containment, collection, processing and disposal of biological and non-biological wastes
autoclaves
Samples
Samples may include:
air
surface water, wastewater and stormwater
soils and sediments
plants and animals
Aseptic techniques
Aseptic techniques may include:
preparation of basic and enriched media
sterilisation of media
aseptic transfer of microorganisms (e.g. bacteria, fungi and yeasts) to culture media
production and identification of pure cultures on solid media
production of contaminant-free cultures in liquid media
Microscopes and microscopy techniques
Microscopes and microscopy techniques may include:
bright field microscopy
dark field microscopy techniques
Kohler illumination and its importance in producing uniform and glare-free images
phase contrast microscopy
polarised light microscopy
stereo microscopy techniques
image analysers and camera eyepieces
stage micrometers and microscopic measurement
counting chambers
Organism classification
Organism classification may include:
kingdoms
hierarchical system of species classification
dichotomous keys
Cell structure and function
Cell structure and function may include:
cell theory
eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells and their organisation
cell organelles and structures, including plasma membrane and cell wall, chromosomes, nucleus, cytoplasm, vacuoles and vesicles, golgi complex, endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes, chloroplasts, ribosomes and mitochondria, cytoskeleton, cilia and flagella
biological membranes (structure and function - osmosis, diffusion, active transport cellular metabolism)
heterotrophic and autotrophic organisms
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

Overview of assessment
Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Assessors must be satisfied that the candidate can competently and consistently apply the skills covered in this unit of competency in new and different situations and contexts. Critical aspects of assessment and evidence include:
collecting and handling biological samples
using aseptic techniques to obtain/manipulate samples and prepare media
using standard techniques to grow cultures of environmentally significant microorganisms
setting up and optimising the performance of light microscopes
conducting tests and microscopic examination of samples to identify and enumerate environmentally significant (micro)organisms and important components of plant/animal tissues
demonstrating safe sterilisation, disinfection, cleaning and waste disposal techniques
preparing documentation that is concise, accurate and meets enterprise requirements
working safely.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment.
Assessment should emphasise a workplace context and procedures found in the candidate’s workplace.
This unit of competency may be assessed with:
MSL952001A Collect routine site samples
MSS024006A Perform sampling and testing of water
environmental monitoring units, such as:
MSS024009A Assist with assessing and monitoring stormwater systems
MSS025013A Assist with assessing and monitoring wetlands.
The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team.
Resources may include:
relevant sampling equipment and materials
standard microbiology laboratory with relevant equipment, materials and reagents
enterprise procedures, test methods and equipment manuals.
Under duty of care requirements, off-the-job training providers will only use biological samples and organisms of a risk category that is compatible with their laboratory as defined in AS/NZS 2243.3:2010 Safety in laboratories - Microbiological aspects and containment facilities.
Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
inspection of samples and review of data, results and records prepared by the candidate
feedback from peers and supervisors that the candidate consistently follows enterprise procedures and works safely
oral/written questioning associated with sampling, safe handling, culturing, testing and examination of microorganisms, and their identification
observation of the candidate handling samples/cultures, optimising a light microscope for identified samples, classifying organisms or performing basic environmental microbiological testing.
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.
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.
Guidance information for assessment