Elements and Performance Criteria

The range of variables places the competency in context and allows for differences between enterprises and workplaces, including practices, knowledge and requirements. The range of variables also provides a focus for assessment and relates to the unit as a whole. The following variables may be present:

Critical operating requirements:
· food safety plan
· product specifications
· capacity of plant and equipment
· temperature controlled stock
· workplace recording
· test and sampling requirements
· time and temperature and other critical process requirements such as power, steam, water, compressed and/or instrumentation air.

Allowable deviations:
· product specifications
· time and temperature tolerance
· equipment capability.

Corrective and /or remedial action:
· food safety plan
· product specifications
· reporting requirements for out-of-temperature stocks.

Conformance with specifications:
· conformance to industry standards, OHS procedures and the requirements of the food safety plan
· requirements for measurement of temperature over time
· equipment status and condition monitoring.

Emergency procedures:
· plant shut-down procedures both routine and non-routine
· start-up procedures
· may be determined by evidence of contamination or risk to physical safety
· OHS policies and guidelines.

Each unit of competency has an evidence guide that relates directly to the performance criteria and the range of variables. Its purpose is to guide assessment of the unit in the workplace and/or training program. The following components provide information to assist this purpose.

Underpinning knowledge
The essential knowledge and understanding a person needs to perform work to the required standards include:
· production and processing systems consistent with the scale of the enterprise and the species involved
· corrective actions allowable within the requirements of the enterprise food safety plan and any relevant regulations
· product specifications and customer requirements
· process monitoring methodology to ensure product compliance with specifications.

Practical skills
The essential skills a person needs to perform work to the required standards include:
· interpreting specifications and operating parameters
· evaluating human resource requirements
· determining market expectations of finished product including quality and timing
· developing and implementing corrective actions in response to out-of-specification results or non-compliance including procedures to segregate damaged or suspect stocks
· developing and implementing set-up start-up and shut-down routines and safety checks for plant and equipment that are part of the production process
· shutting down equipment in response to an emergency situation
· changing over equipment as required for changes to batch, line and/or process
· sorting, collecting, treating, disposing and/or recycling of wastes
· monitoring process and equipment operation to identify out-of-specification results or non-compliance
· monitoring supply and flow of materials to and from the process
· determining the requirements for the cooling and warming, cleaning and handling of containers required for the process
· planning:
· developing schedules
· determining the requirements for the cleaning and/or sanitising of equipment
· identifying routine maintenance requirements
· applying lock-out and tag-out procedures
· communicating with work teams and management
· working in the presence of moving equipment and/or operating machinery
· making effective use of print or screen-based information systems.

Oral and written workplace communication skills used for:
· reading production information
· compiling reports
· completing complex forms
· interpreting technical documents or publications
· preparing detailed procedures
· reading and interpreting food standards
· communicating technical requirements to staff in an understandable form.

Numeracy skills used for:
· calculating production data
· reading and analysing process control data
· calculating volumes, flows, pressures and/or temperatures
· estimating production times.

Critical aspects of competence
Assessment must confirm the ability to:
· manage a production unit to satisfy the needs of volume and quality of outputs against product specifications, as well as satisfying the needs of the enterprise OHS policies and the requirements of food safety regulations.

Assessment must confirm knowledge of:
· requirements of the food safety plan
· enterprise OHS policy and procedures
· process parameters including safe working practices, food safety and environmental requirements
· causes of product contamination and/or cross-contamination
· significance of and methods for controlling contamination within the process
· production scheduling, batch/recipe instructions, specifications and identifying process control points
· equipment operational parameters
· process control instrumentation
· sampling and test schedules
· cleaning and sanitisation schedules
· routine preventative maintenance requirements
· documentation, recording and reporting requirements.

Interdependent assessment of units
This unit may be assessed after/with:
· No recommendations.

Context of assessment
Worksites used for assessment must comply with relevant legislation, industry standards and/or practices. Equipment used should be representative of that used in the workplace.

Procedures and documentation used should be those which would be used typically in the workplace. Compliance with statutory Occupational Health and Safety, food safety, export/import inspection, hygiene and/or environmental requirements relevant to the seafood industry should be emphasised.

Method of assessment
Assessment should be structured on whole-of-work activities aimed at achieving the workplace outcomes described in the performance criteria including demonstration of the underpinning knowledge contained in the evidence guide.

Resources required for assessment
· equipment representative of that used in the workplace
· procedures and documentation used typically in the workplace
· specifications, control points and processing parameters
· sufficient raw material to facilitate realistic assessment
· storage space for output of production
· cleaning and sanitisation schedule/s
· process documentation
· enterprise Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) and material safety data sheets.