Elements and Performance Criteria

The range of variables relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that will affect performance.
Where reference is made to industry Codes of Practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used.
This unit of competency describes aspects of work conducted by supervised laboratory technicians.
The results of work performed by technical personnel would normally be integrated, interpreted and reported on by scientists, medical, veterinary or plant pathologists or other responsible officers of an enterprise.
All work will assume the potential infectivity of samples and materials presented for laboratory processing. Facilities, equipment and processes will conform to the recommendations of AS/NZS 2243.3 Safety in laboratories, Part 3 - Microbiology.

Information sources could include
AS ISO/IEC 17025 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
enterprise procedures, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and operating manuals
test procedures (validated and authorised)
sampling procedures (labelling, preparation, storage, transport and disposal)
safety requirements for equipment, materials or products, MSDS
cleaning, hygiene, personal hygiene requirements
quality system and continued improvement processes
incident and accident/injury reports
schematics, work flows, laboratory layouts
instructions to comply with new legislation, standards, guidelines and codes
waste minimisation, containment, processing and disposal procedures
current guidelines for small scale genetic manipulation work, from the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR).

Equipment, materials and systems could include
protective and physical containment facilities and equipment for safe handling of micro-organisms (AS/NZS 2243.3 Safety in laboratories, Part 3 - Microbiology)
personal protective equipment, such as gloves, gown, mask and safety glasses, gloves for working with extremes of heat and cold
carbon dioxide cabinets, 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, stereomicroscopes
counting chambers for micro-enumeration
colony counting devices
bunsen burners, bench incinerators
incubators, water baths
anaerobic jars, fermentation chambers, continuous culture systems and other devices for controlling growth environments of micro-organisms
laboratory information management systems, 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 ultra-violet (UV) lamps
materials suitable for the safe containment, collection, processing and disposal of biological and non-biological wastes
autoclaves.

Communication may involve
supervisors and managers (laboratory, quality and customer service)
personnel in other laboratories in the enterprise or in other enterprises to which work may be referred
customers, patients and clients
external auditors and accreditation agencies (for example, NATA).

Health, safety and environment
All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environmental (HSE) requirements, which may be imposed through State or Federal legislation, and these must not be compromised at any time. Where there is an apparent conflict between performance criteria and HSE requirements, the HSE requirements take precedence.
All operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied. Users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council and State and Territory Departments of Health. All operations are performed in accordance with standard operating procedures.

The Evidence Guide describes the underpinning knowledge and skills that must be demonstrated to prove competence.
Critical aspects of competency

Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard. In particular the assessor should look to see that the candidate:

safely performs tasks for the culture, isolation, identification and use of micro-organisms
does not contaminate him/herself, other people, the work area, equipment or the samples or materials under test
does not contaminate media or reagents during manipulations involving transfer of cultures
identifies artefact or image aberration attributable to misalignment or obstruction of light paths or condensers used in bright field, dark ground, phase and fluorescent microscopy, or with other steps in microscopic examinations
is consistently accurate in the identification of Gram reactions
is consistently accurate in the description of bacterial colony forms on common media used in bacteriological investigations
prepares documentation that is accurate, concise and in accordance with enterprise requirements
reports all incidents or accidents
disinfects any spillage and safely disposes of all contaminated materials
decontaminates the work area upon completion of work.

Underpinning knowledge

Competency includes the ability to apply and explain:

relevant microbiological terminology, including, where relevant that of bacteriology, parasitology, virology, mycology
use of protective clothing and biological safety cabinets
disinfection and sterilisation as applied to practical aspects of microbiology
microbial diversity
micro-organisms of importance in medicine, in production of foods and other manufactured goods, in assessment of the natural environment
cell biology and chemistry related to laboratory phenomena, such as growth and isolation of organisms for identification
microbial genetics
rationale for sample dilution when preparing materials for enumerating organisms and other pure culture work (for example, Most Probable Number (MPN) technique)
need for accurate identification of sample source (for example, body, specimen, process line, field location)
relevant health, safety and environment requirements.

Specific industry

Additional knowledge requirements may apply for different industry sectors. For example:

aspects of normal and abnormal anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and immunology as these pertain to the microbiological investigation of health and disease of animals and plants
interactions of micro-organisms with hosts
issues of pathogenicity
antimicrobial agents and antibiotic susceptibility/sensitivity testing
use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedures in virology testing
handling of genetically altered cells
freezing and thawing of cultured cells
in tissue culture settings, maintaining the proper growth or storage conditions for the preservation of pure cell culture lines
maintaining the proper containment and preservation of genetically altered cell lines
use of micro-organisms in enzyme, vitamin, preservative and amino acid production.
sampling for the microbiological testing of drinking water which should conform to the guidelines published by the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Water Resources Council
testing procedures for the microbiological content of water which should be guided by advice of relevant national and State environment protection agencies
aspects of ecology and other biological disciplines as these pertain to the microbiological investigation of the natural environment
use of micro-organisms in waste and toxic spill recovery
use of miroorganisms in site remediation
identification of micro-organisms to assist in determining the cause, time or nature of pollution.
sampling and test batteries which should conform to relevant food standards code
aspects of food, pharmaceutical and other relevant processing as these relate to the involvement of micro-organisms in the production process and the microbiological monitoring of the production process
use of bacteria as probiotics
multiple resistant antibiotic strains of bacteria and their relevance to the food industry
importance of HACCP to production processes
involvement of bacteria in food spoilage and poisoning
identification procedures for determining the source of a food poisoning event
limiting bacterial growth in foods and food preservation.

Assessment context and methods
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.

The following assessment methods are suggested:

review of results/data/records generated by the candidate
feedback from peers and supervisors to confirm that enterprise procedures are consistently followed and those results meet workplace requirements
oral and/or written questions associated with laboratory determinations and record keeping
integrated assessment with a case study focus, such as the isolation and identification of bacterial species in a specimen containing two or more species, by relating sample, cultural, morphological and biochemical data, and such from other relevant tests and 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. Questioning techniques should suit the language and literacy levels of the candidate.

Interdependent assessment of unit

This unit of competency may be assessed with:

PMLQUAL401B Apply quality system and continuous improvement processes.

Resource implications

Resources may include:

standard microbiology laboratory with relevant equipment, samples and reagents
enterprise procedures, test methods, equipment manuals.
Under duty of care requirements, off-the-job training providers will only use samples and organisms of a risk category compatible with their laboratory as defined in AS 2243.3.

This competency in practice
A patient's urine sample and request form have been brought to the laboratory for urgent testing. After preparation of the work area, the technical officer examines a coverslipped preparation of the sample and notes the presence of pus cells and non-motile rod organisms. In a Gram stain he confirms the presence of pus cells and Gram negative bacilli. They inoculate a MacConkey's and a blood agar plate for growth and isolation of bacteria. After consultation with the supervisor they are asked to set up a direct culture for antibiotic sensitivity testing. The supervisor informs the clinician of the initial findings. The next morning the technical officer assists the supervisor to read the plates. The predominance of lactose fermenting organisms is noted. The supervisor asks the technical officer to set up a biochemical panel to assist in identifying the organism. The supervisor confirms the technical officer's reading of the direct sensitivities plate. Later in the day the team is able to confirm that the patient's urine is infected with Escherichia coli and that the organism is sensitive to a number of antibiotics, including a sulphonamide and a cephalosporin.
A swollen can of tuna was received at the company laboratory for microbiological investigation. The technical officer recorded the details supplied with the can and prepared for the investigation. A range of media, including cooked meat media and nutrient broth were prepared and aseptic can opening equipment was sterilised. After the can was opened in the biohazard cabinet, the state of the contents was recorded, pH checked and Gram stains prepared and examined. The media was inoculated with the food samples and incubated at a range of temperatures under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The can was then emptied for double seam tear down to determine the cause of the spoilage. The next day the technical officer examined the media and broth cultures. From all the data collected the technical officer and supervisor were able to determine that pre-processing spoilage had occurred, probably due to excessive delays in the process prior to can sterilisation. The results were reported to production personnel so that they could follow up the circumstances relating to the delays, and ensure that the standard operating procedure had been followed and sufficient product rejected.

The seven key competencies represent generic skills considered for effective work participation. The bracketed numbering against each of the key competencies indicates the performance level required in this unit. These are stand-alone levels and do not correspond to levels in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
Level (1) represents the competence to undertake tasks effectively
Level (2) represents the competence to manage tasks
Level (3) represents the competence to use concepts for evaluating and reshaping tasks.
Communicating ideas and information
(2)

Collecting analysing and organising information
(2)

Planning and organising activities
(2)

Working with others and in teams
(2)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
(2)

Solving problems
(2)

Using technology
(2)