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 ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
AS/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set
AS/NZS ISO 9000 Set:2008 Quality management systems set
AS 2830.1 Good laboratory practice - Chemical analysis
AS 3741 Recommended practice for chemical analysis by ion chromatography
BS EN 12916 Petroleum products - Determination of aromatic hydrocarbon types in middle distillates - HPLC method with refractive index detection.
DIN EN 12630 Fruit and vegetable juices - Determination of glucose, fructose, sorbitol and sucrose - Method by HPLC.
ISO 10304 set Water quality - Determination of dissolved anions by LC of ions
ISO 20481 Coffee and coffee products - Determination of caffeine content using HPLC
ISO/IEC Guide 98-3:2008 Uncertainty of measurement - Part 3 Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM)
Eurachem/CITAC Guide CG4 Quantifying uncertainty in analytical measurement
NATA supplementary requirements for the field of testing
Australian code of good manufacturing practice (GMP)
principles of good laboratory practice (GLP)
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
national measurement regulations and guidelines
enterprise procedures, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and operating manuals
quality manuals, equipment and procedure manuals
equipment startup, operation and shutdown procedures
calibration and maintenance schedules
cleaning, hygiene and personal hygiene requirements
data quality procedures
enterprise recording and reporting procedures
material, production and product specifications
production and laboratory schedules
quality system and continued improvement processes
safety requirements for equipment, materials or products
sampling procedures (labelling, preparation, storage, transport and disposal)
schematics, work flows and laboratory layouts
statutory and enterprise occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements
stock records and inventory
test procedures (validated and authorised)
waste minimisation, containment, processing and disposal procedures
LC instruments and techniques
LC instruments and techniques may include:
analytical and (semi) preparative columns
sample and solvent introduction systems such as:
sample valves, sub µL, µL and mL
sample loop design
solvent selector valves, mixing manifolds, binary/quaternary pumps and control program
LC detectors such as:
UV absorbance
conductivity detector (ECD)
electrochemical detector (ECD)
fluorescence
refractive index (RI)
evaporative light scattering (ELSD)
'hyphenated' mass spectrometry (LC-MS) (LC-MS-MS)
fraction collectors
replaceable items, such as sample injection valves, (high pressure) tubing and fittings, column connectors and lamps
data systems such as recorders, electronic integrators, and software packages for peak detection and integration
Testing that uses LC instruments
Testing that uses liquid chromatography instruments may include:
determination of the molecular weight distribution for large molecules such as proteins and polymers
therapeutic drug analysis
diagnostic pathology tests
forensic testing of samples (e.g. toxicology, dyes and inks)
environmental monitoring of pollution in air, water or soil (e.g. herbicides, pesticides, nitrates and phosphates)
control of starting materials, in-process materials and final products in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industry sectors
Presumptive tests
Presumptive tests may include:
pH
sample solubility in water/methanol mix (free of precipitates and miscible in one phase)
colour test
compatibility of sample solvent and mobile phase
Sample preparation
Sample preparation may include:
identification of any hazards associated with the samples and/or analytical chemicals
derivatisation
grinding, dissolving, extraction, filtration, refluxing, centrifuging, evaporation, washing and drying
solid-phase micro-extraction
determination of, and if appropriate, removal of any contaminants or impurities or interfering substances
ultra-trace procedures requiring high purity solvents, clean rooms, ultra clean glassware and specialised glassware
on column concentration
Instrumental parameters
Instrumental parameters may include
LC parameters:
manual/auto sample; injector volume, pre- and post-sample washes
fixed or variable solvent ratios
solvent flow rate
column temperature
detector/source parameters, single/split system
MS parameters:
vacuum pressures and gas flows
nebuliser gas flow
ionisation control
interface cone alignment
ion lens voltage
mass analyser control
solvent delay
scan, mass start/end, scan time and inter-scan delay
selective ion monitoring (SIM)
Common analytical procedure and equipment problems
Common analytical procedure and equipment problems may include:
system leaks
efficiency of roughing pump (oil and bearing wear) and turbo/molecular pumps
irregular sample or solvent delivery
contamination of sample, solvents, lines or other system elements
dead volume
bubbles in system
build up of salts/dissolved solids in sample valves, injectors, MS spray chamber and/or cones
lack of suitable reference standards
poor separation due to inappropriate selection of column or operating parameters solvent mix and flow
poor sensitivity
absence of peaks and presence of ghost peaks, split peaks or distorted peak shapes and broad solvent peaks
baseline instability and non-reproducible retention times
Hazards
Hazards may include:
electric shock
biohazards, such as microbiological organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products, human or animal tissue and fluids
corrosive chemicals
sharps and broken glassware
hot surfaces
flammable liquids and gases
fluids under pressure and sources of ignition
disturbance or interruption of services
Addressing hazards
Addressing hazards may include:
use of MSDS
accurate labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials
personal protective equipment such as gloves, safety glasses, coveralls
use of fumehoods, direct extraction of vapours, gases
use of appropriate equipment such as biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets
handling and storage of all hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labelling, MSDS and manufacturer's instructions
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:
interpret client requests, test methods and procedures accurately
select, operate and maintain a variety of LC sample valves, solvent delivery components, pumps, columns and detectors
install injectors, solvent delivery systems and columns
safely set up, start up and shut down instrument using enterprise procedures
prepare samples and calibration standards in accordance with test method
check calibration/qualification status of equipment
optimise instrument sub-systems and procedures and equipment to suit sample/test requirements
operate equipment to obtain valid and reliable data
use software to identify analytes and calculate concentrations with appropriate accuracy, precision and units
recognise atypical data/results
troubleshoot common analytical procedure and equipment problems
record and report data/results using enterprise procedures
maintain security, integrity and traceability of samples and documentation
follow OHS procedures and principles of GLP.

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:
MSL976003A Evaluate and select appropriate test methods and procedures
MSL977003A Contribute to the validation of test methods
MSL977004A Develop or adapt analyses and procedures.
Resources may include:
laboratory with specialised analytical instruments
laboratory reagents and equipment
SOPs and test methods.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of test data/results/calibration graphs obtained by the candidate over time to ensure accuracy, validity, precision and timeliness of results
inspection of results and technical records (e.g. maintenance schedules and quality control logbooks) completed by the candidate
observation of candidate using LC instruments to measure analytes
feedback from clients, peers and supervisors
oral or written questioning of relevant LC concepts, chemical principles underpinning sample preparation and separation of species, instrument design and optimisation, analytical techniques and enterprise procedures.
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.
Food and beverage processing
A technician is measuring phosphate levels in samples of a popular cola drink by ion chromatography. Using a standard method, he/she notes that there is a long retention time and obtains a broad asymmetric peak because the recommended flow rate could not be obtained with the laboratory's instrument. He/she then decides that the simplest way to speed up the elution time is to modify the mobile phase by increasing the % of methanol. The technician was pleased to obtain a well resolved analyte peak despite the faster eluting peaks now being unresolved. However, this was of no consequence to the analysis as the client only required the phosphate concentration.
Education and training
An experienced technician sets up and runs some pre-use checks for an LC instrument that is used by several laboratory personnel with periods of downtime in between. To his/her dismay, the initial standard produces one broad peak instead of three pronounced UV absorbance peaks as expected. He/she checks that the column has not been changed and that the mobile phase composition and flow rates are correct. He/she then checks each sub-system carefully and then waits for the system to equilibrate again. After re-running the standard, the result is the same and so he/she then suspects something is wrong with the stationary phase. The technician notices that when the instrument was last used, the mobile phase had a high percentage of water. He/she now suspects that there is bacterial growthin the column because it has been stored incorrectly. After trying to regenerate the column unsuccessfully, the technician installs a new one and then flushes and conditions the instrument in accordance with the laboratory procedures.
He/she then adds the following information to the instrument logbook:
Store columns in 50/50 methanol/water without any acid.
If you are using a salt, unlikely in LC-MS, wash the entire system, solvent bottles, LC, solvent lines, and column, in a non-salt containing solvent. (Otherwise salt may precipitate out and plug your LC or column or may cause corrosion.)
Flush with pure water first and then leave the system in 50/50 methanol/water mixture. (Some salts may precipitate out in high organics so an initial water wash is advised.The 50/50 methanol/water solution helps to stop bacterial growth which can muck up the system!