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.
Personnel work in accordance with work instructions and standard operating procedures which incorporate all relevant aspects of OHS legislation and the codes, guidelines, regulations and Australian standards applying to environmental hazards and dangerous goods.
OHS legislation is state and territory based and includes general OHS Act and hazard specific regulations and Codes of Practice especially those relating to environmental hazards and dangerous goods.

Industry standards, codes and guidelines may include
AS 2243 Safety in laboratories Parts 1-10
AS 2982 Hand washing facilities
AS 2243.8 Fume hoods
AS 2252 Biological safety cabinets
SAA HB9 Occupational personal protection, and other relevant standards for protective, clothing (for example, AS 2161, AS 2210, AS 1337 and AS 1338)
AS 1678 Emergency procedures guide for hazardous materials
AS 2500 Storage of goods
AS 2503 Safety storage and handling of information cards
AS 1940 Storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids
AS 3780 Storage and handling or corrosive liquids
AS 4452 Storage and handling of toxic substances
AS4332 Storage and handling of gases in cylinders
AS 4187 Code of Practice for cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising reusable medical and surgical instruments and equipment and maintenance of associated environments in health care facilities
standards for the segregation of wastes, such as AS 2243.3 and AS 2243.4
AS/NEC/ISO 14000
confined space legislation
Australian Dangerous Goods Code
Australian Code for Transport of Dangerous Goods
guidelines for the operation of classes of laboratories
Australian Quarantine Inspection Service guidelines for the importation of biological products
National Code of Practice for the labelling of workplace substances (NOHSC: 2012)
Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) guidelines for working with genetically altered organisms.
This unit of competency forms a major part of the work of laboratory assistants. Equipment, material, procedures and facilities will vary according to the scope and classification of the laboratory.

Typical equipment could include
animal cages
autoclaves
balances
blenders, centrifuges and separating equipment
cell counters, staining machines
dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, ovens, microwave ovens, incubators, water baths
fume hoods, biohazard containers, biological safety cabinets
gas cylinders
glassware (burettes, pipettes); plastic ware; glass, plastic, quartz cuvettes
hotplates, mantles, burners, muffle furnaces
light and fluorescence microscopes
microtomes, tissue processors
thermometers, thermohygrographs, instrument chart recorders, hydrometers, pH meters and ion selective electrodes
ultrasonic cleaners.

Typical materials could include
consumable items, such as syringes, pipette tips, weigh boats
disposable clothing and PPE
distilled water, reagents, chemicals, disinfectants, detergents, agar media and plates
equipment spares, such as fuses, bulbs, batteries
oils/lubricants, fuels, industrial gases, cryogenics, such as dry ice and liquid nitrogen
paper, stationery
reference samples and standards.
All maintenance activities, such as cleaning, storing, prevention of contamination are carried out according to established enterprise procedures.

Cleaning requirements will vary with the scope of the laboratory and may include
decontamination and/or disinfection
hygiene monitoring
operation of automatic cleaning apparatus, such as pipette washer, ultrasonic cleaners, dishwashers
sterilisation and disposal of wastes using boiling, high pressure air or steam, microwaves, chemicals, gas, filtration, ultraviolet radiation, autoclaving
use of specialised techniques, such as chromic acid baths, soaking in hypochlorite.
Preparation areas include benches, sinks and fume cupboards.
Agents for cleaning include decontaminants, organic solvents and cleaning solutions.
Spillages include chemicals, radioactive and biologically active materials.
Wastes include broken glass, sharps, micro-organisms, solvents, excess test samples, spent reagents, disposable PPE, and used containers, boxes, bags, palettes.

Stock records may include
usage, loans, breakage
data sheets
calibration and maintenance history
handbooks, warranty documents, catalogues, manuals, MSDSs.

Communication could involve other people, such as
laboratory, production, administration, cleaning staff
internal/external contractors
emergency personnel.

Maintenance issues could involve
spillages, leakages, breakages, contamination
stock requirements, shortages
potential hazards, incidents and emergencies
hygiene issues
equipment malfunction
recycling and waste disposal.

Hazards may include
electric shock
microbiological organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products, human or animal tissue and fluids
aerosols from broken centrifuge tubes, pipetting
solar radiation, dust, noise
sources of ignition, flammable liquids and gases
sharps, broken glassware and hand tools
chemicals, such as acids, heavy metals, pesticides, hydrocarbons
cryogenics, such as dry ice and liquid nitrogen
fluids under pressure, such as steam, industrial gas cylinders
occupational overuse syndrome, slips, trips and falls
manual handling, working at heights and in confined spaces
crushing, entanglement, cuts associated with moving machinery or falling objects
pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

Established safe work practices may include
ensuring access to service shut off points
recognising and observing hazard warnings and safety signs
labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials
use of personal protective equipment, such as hard hats, hearing protection, gloves, safety glasses, goggles, face guards, coveralls, gown, body suits, respirators and safety boots
applying containment procedures through the use of appropriate equipment, such as biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets and Class PCII, PCIII, and PCIV physical containment facilities
use of material safety data sheets (MSDS)
handling and storage of all hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labelling, materials safety data sheets and manufacturer's instructions
identifying and reporting operating problems or equipment malfunctions
following established manual handling procedures for tasks involving manual handling
reporting to appropriate personnel of abnormal emissions, discharges and airborne contaminants, such as noise, light, solids, liquids, water/waste water, gases, smoke, vapour, fumes, odour and particulates

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, assessors should look to see that the candidate:

safely cleans work preparation areas and equipment using appropriate cleaning agents, apparatus and techniques
safely removes spillages and disposes of wastes
minimises the exposure to hazards of self, others and the laboratory
safely stores equipment and materials using enterprise procedures, relevant codes and guidelines
monitors and reports stock levels and the condition of laboratory materials and equipment
keeps accurate, up to date records
reports potential hazards and maintenance issues using enterprise procedures.

Underpinning knowledge

Competency includes the ability to apply and explain:

enterprise procedures for the cleaning of work preparation areas, materials and equipment
storage requirements for specific materials and equipment
enterprise procedures for minimisation and disposal of waste
enterprise procedures for monitoring of laboratory stocks
information contained in material safety data sheets (MSDSs) for materials handled regularly during the performance of maintenance tasks
relevant health, safety and environment requirements.

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:

observation of the candidate's techniques for cleaning and/or removal of spillages and waste disposal
review of stock records completed by the candidate
feedback from supervisors and peers
questioning to assess underpinning knowledge of regulations and procedures where direct observation is difficult (such as dealing with hazards) and choice of materials and equipment.
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:

PMLOHS302B Participate in laboratory/field workplace safety.

Resource implications

Resources may include:

access to work preparation areas, stocks, materials and equipment
cleaning, decontamination and/or disinfection agents and apparatus
personal protection equipment
stock order firms, labels and records/forms.

This competency in practice
On receipt of a bulk container of cleaning or sanitising agent, a laboratory assistant always attached to the container a description of its method of use. The assistant also attached a list of the surfaces, apparatus, utensils and machines that could be safely treated with that chemical agent as outlined in the company's quality manual. This practice reduced the likelihood of misuse of the chemical, wastage, damage to equipment and inadequate cleaning and sanitation.
Laboratory assistants and technical officers routinely examine fluids for micro-organisms using a microscope. They examine fluids, such as urine, seawater, chlorinated pool water, water from catchment areas and bottled water. To maintain microscopes in working order, they thoroughly clean the stage, oculars and each objective after use and sometimes between samples. The 100X objective requires particular care since this is the oil immersion objective. The oil is slightly acidic and will slowly corrode the objective if its not cleaned thoroughly and regularly. After using the 100X objective they also take care not to drag the other objectives through the oil.
A laboratory assistant regularly uses standard pH solutions to calibrate the laboratory's pH meters. The assistant is aware from the label that the shelf life of these solutions after opening is two months and records the opening and disposal dates on the container. The assistant is also aware that the shelf life of unopened buffer solutions is twelve months from the date of manufacture and monitors this by noting the production date on the bottle. Requests for stock replacement take into account the normal rate of use of these buffer solutions so that unopened bottles have not reached their expiry date before use.

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
(1)

Collecting analysing and organising information
(2)

Planning and organising activities
(1)

Working with others and in teams
(1)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
(1)

Solving problems
(1)

Using technology
(1)