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
ASTM E355 Standard practice for gas chromatography terms and relationships
ASTM E516 Standard practice for testing thermal conductivity detectors used in gas chromatography
ISO 6889 Natural gas rapid analysis by gas chromatography
BS 5443 Recommendations for standard layout for methods of chemical analysis by gas chromatography
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
National Association of Testing Authorities (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
GC instruments and techniques
GC instruments and techniques may include:
sample introduction, such as:
micro-syringe, split/splitless
head space analysis
thermal desorption
purge and trap
on column injection
packed columns, capillary columns, support coated open tubular (SCOT), wall coated (WCOT) and porous layer (PLOT) types
ovens including temperature stability and temperature programming capability
detectors, such as:
thermal conductivity (TCD)
flame ionisation (FID)
electron capture (ECD
atomic emission (AED)
flame photometric (FPD)
photo ionisation (PID)
fourier transform infra red (FTIR)
'hyphenated' mass spectrometry (GC-MS) (GC-MS-MS)
ionisation - chemical, plasma/glow discharge, electron impact, electro spray, electric field and laser ionisation
design layout - ion cyclotron resonance fourier transform, ion trap, magnetic-sector, quadrupole and time of flight
ion detectors - channeltron, Daly, electron multiplier tube and micro-channel plate
full scan or selective ion monitoring (SIM)
replaceable items, such as gas inlets, septum, septum purge, injector insert, heater block, tubing materials, column connectors, split valve and vent, and lamps
data systems such as recorders, electronic integrators, and software packages for peak detection and integration
Testing that uses GC instruments
Testing that uses GC instruments may include:
forensic testing, such as toxicology of biological samples, identification of fire and explosive residues
medical testing, such as using isotopic labelling of metabolic compounds
testing of athletes for performance enhancing drugs
environmental cleanup and monitoring of pollution in air, water or soil (e.g. organochloride pesticides)
control of starting materials, in-process materials and final products in a wide range of industry sectors (pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, petroleum and manufacturing)
multi-analyte determination
testing for contaminants in food and beverages
analysis of flavour and fragrance
Sample characteristics that may affect analysis
Sample characteristics that may affect analysis may include:
presence of non-volatiles, such as carbohydrates
Sample preparation
Sample preparation may include:
conversion to small volumes (1µL)
derivatisation
identification of any hazards associated with the samples and/or analytical chemicals
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
Instrumental parameters
Instrumental parameters may include
GC parameters:
injection mode (direct, split/splitless, on column)
manual/auto sample (injector volume, speed and time)
pre- and post-sample washes
gas flow controls
isothermal versus temperature programming
isobaric versus pressure programming
detector/source parameters and 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
syringe blockage or incorrect type and inappropriate septum
column overloading
contamination of sample, gas or solvents, lines or other system elements and out gassing of traps
overcoming problems with interfering substances by using SIM
lack of suitable reference standards
poor separation due to inappropriate selection of column or operating parameters (temperature 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, and human or animal tissue and fluids
corrosive chemicals
sharps and broken glassware
hot surfaces
flammable liquids and gases
fluids under pressure 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 and coveralls
use of fumehoods, direct extraction of vapours and 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 GC injectors, columns and detectors
install injectors 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 controllogbooks) completed by the candidate
observation of candidate using GC instruments to measure analytes
feedback from clients, peers and supervisors
oral or written questioning of relevant gas chromatography 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.
Environmental testing
A laboratory routinely analyses samples of foodstuffs for pesticide residues. Traditionally, they have used GC combined with ECD and FID detectors to quantify one or two classes at a time. Recently, the laboratory has commissioned a new GC-MS instrument that is capable of quantifying low level pesticides using the SIM mode while simultaneously performing quantification of higher concentrations using full-scan (SIFI single ion and full ion) acquisition. The technician sets up for a typical run of samples. He/she uses the programmable split/splitless injector to provide 1µL samples. The injection port temperature is set at 275°C (isothermal) and the capillary column uses a phase specifically designed for separation of pesticides. The helium carrier gas is programmed with a constant velocity of 30 cm/s. The oven temperature program is initially set to 80°C with no hold and ramped to 290°C at 20°C/min with a hold of 4.5 min. The total oven program is 15 min, with an injection to injection time of less than 20 min. The MS method contains multiple SIM functions overlapped by a m/z 40 to m/z 450 full scan function and the mass spectrometer transfer line and ion source are heated to 275°C.
Pharmaceutical testing
A laboratory technician working for a major cosmetics company is given a retail sample of a competitor's perfume and asked to determine its composition. He/she has to start somewhere and decides to use one of the laboratory's GC-MS instruments to simplify the identification process and to avoid the need for multiple spikes. The GC-MS is already set up to measure the company's own perfume and so the technician uses standard instrumental parameters as a starting point. However, he/she finds that many peaks are not resolved and some take a long time to elute. The technician realises that he/she should either modify the temperature and/or pressure programming or change columns. Sensibly, the technician chooses to modify the easiest parameter (i.e. temperature) before changing the column. This overcomes the problem of slow elution but does not resolve all peaks. He/she then varies the pressure programming which provides better resolution but does not completely separate all peaks. The technician then uses the instrument's spectral matching software to identify as many peaks as possible, including the ones that overlap.