Elements and Performance Criteria

Context
Incidents may include:
· fire
· explosion
· gas or oil leak
· accident
· bomb threat
· missing personnel
· combination of the above

Management and operational systems to support incident preparedness and response include (but are not limited to):
· evacuation
· emergency operations structure
· communications
· information management
· documentation and reporting requirements
· resource management
· training
· audit and review system
· financial management
· post incident actions

External services may include (but are not limited to):
· fire brigade
· ambulance
· medical services
· local emergency management organisations
· media
· security services
· solicitors
· engineers
· scientists

HSE
All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent Health, Safety and Environment 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.

Relationship to Major Hazard Facility Legislation
· Organisations within the Chemical, Hydrocarbons and Oil Refining industries may find themselves falling under the provisions of various Major Hazard Facilities legislation. In developing this unit consideration has been given to the requirements of Sections 8 and 9 of the National Standard For The Control Of Major Hazard Facilities [NOHSC:1014(2002)] and the National Code Of Practice For The Control Of Major Hazard Facilities [NOHSC:2016(1996)].
· This unit will assist individuals to meet some of their obligations under the relevant State or Territory legislation. Responsibility for appropriate contextualisation and application of the unit to ensure compliance however, remains with the individual organisation.

Assessment context and methods
· Assessment for this unit of competency will be by way of simulation or observation under incident conditions. The unit will be assessed in as holistic a manner as is practical and may be integrated with the assessment of other relevant units of competency. Assessment will occur over a range of situations which can include a variety of incident circumstances.
· Simulations must, as closely as possible, approximate actual incident conditions and should be based on the actual facility. Assessments should include 'walk throughs' of the relevant competency components and may include the use of case studies/scenarios and role plays.
· This unit of competency requires a significant body of knowledge which will be assessed through questioning and the use of 'what if' scenarios both in the facility (during demonstration of normal operations and walk throughs of abnormal operations) and off the site.

Critical aspects
Competence must be demonstrated in the ability to recognise and analyse potential situations requiring action and then in implementing appropriate responsive action. The emphasis should be on the ability to deal effectively with the incident or to contribute effectively to the recovery from the incident.

Consistent performance should be demonstrated. In particular look to see that:
· incident response planning is appropriate for the circumstances
· containment strategies are developed for management of different types of incidents
· understanding of the role of stakeholders and specialists at incidents is demonstrated
· understanding of the structure and roles of on-site functions and personnel is demonstrated
· information gathering, analysis and communication are conducted effectively
· action plan development and evaluation meets organisational requirements
· establishment of incident operations facilities meets organisational requirements
· effective post-incident management planning is undertaken
· evaluations of incident preparedness and response plans are successfully demonstrated

These assessment activities should include a range of problems, including new, unusual and improbable situations which may have been generated from past workplace incident history, incidents in similar workplaces around the world, hazard analysis activities and/or similar sources.

Resource implications
Assessment will require (1) access to an accurately simulated environment or (2) a suitable method of gathering evidence of responding ability over a range of situations. A bank of scenarios/case studies/what ifs and a bank of questions to probe the reasoning behind the observable actions will likewise be required.

Other assessment advice
It may be appropriate to assess this unit concurrently with other relevant units.

Essential knowledge
The knowledge referred to in the evidence guide for this Unit includes:
· incident response and disaster planning processes and techniques
· relevant legislation and standards
· equipment required for different types of equipment
· incident resources and how to access them
· different types of incidents and risks
· hazard identification and control methods and procedures
· risk management principles and techniques
· structure, roles, capabilities and operational limitations of external resources and agencies
· rescue techniques
· intervention and control techniques for heating, fires and explosions
· media policies and procedures
· insurance policies and considerations
· economic impact and considerations

Competence also includes the ability to isolate the causes of problems within the incident response system and to be able to distinguish between causes of problems indicated by:
· poorly formulated and developed incident preparedness plans
· inaccurate or misleading site plans
· lack of access to site information and recording systems
· poor hazard identification and control practices
· inaccurate evaluation of systems
· inaccurate or misleading reports
· lack of identified or established site facilities for incident management
· inability to communicate effectively with people personally or through technical devices during incidents
· ineffective of disorganised personnel and resources
· poorly developed action plans
· inappropriate or improper information analyses
· inappropriate or ineffective decisions
· inability to participate as a team member