Elements and Performance Criteria

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
Legislation, standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements
Legislation, standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements may include:
federal legislation, such as:
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
The Environmental Protection Act 1986
state/territory government legislation and regulations and local government by-laws, policies, and plans dealing with:
land use, acquisition, planning and protection
environmental protection
Australian and international standards, such as:
AS/NZS 4323.3:2001 Stationary source emissions - Determination of odour concentration by dynamic olfactometry
VDI 3940-2:2006 Measurement of odour impact by field inspection - Measurement of the impact frequency of recognizable odours - plume measurement
VDI 3940-3:2010 Measurement of odour impact by field inspection - Determination of odour intensity and hedonic odour tone
VDI 3882-1:1992 Olfactometry - determination of odour intensity
SAA HB 9 Occupational personal protection
data quality procedures
enterprise procedures for monitoring and checking calibration of dynamic olfactometers
equipment manuals and warranties, supplier catalogue and handbooks
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
occupational health and safety (OHS) national standards and codes of practice
Odour nuisance
Odour nuisance involves the cumulative effects of odour on people and may include:
perceived intensity and offensiveness of odour
perceived duration and frequency of occurrence
difficulty in coping with the odour at a specific time and location
a belief that the odour has a negative effect on their wellbeing and health
Odour sources and geometries
Odour sources may include:
wastewater treatment plants and sludge ponds
solid waste recycling plants
landfill and landfill gas treatment plants
chemical plants
composting operations, food and by-product processing, such as rendering and tanning plants
agriculture/livestock facilities, such as poultry and pig farming, cattle feedlots and mushroom farms
Odour source geometries may include:
point, area, volume and fugitive sources
Information about the site and industrial activities
Information about the site and industrial activities collected by air quality scientists and engineers may include:
location of site and nearby buildings, topography and meteorological records
complaints, previous odour assessments at site and nearby locations
other industrial activities or potential odour sources in the surrounding area
industrial process inputs/outputs, flow diagram and process flowchart
unit operations and typical variability, and nominal and upset conditions
pollution control equipment and techniques for industrial processes
air emission control systems, such as scrubbers, bag filters, stacks and bio filters
forced or natural ventilation within odorous buildings
parameters of emission sources, such as location, geometry, and release parameters for processes
operational conditions and period of operation
batch or continuous operation for units upstream from the emission source
predictable variations in process conditions, production rates and weather interaction
Odour monitoring plans
Odour monitoring plans may include:
monitoring protocol with details of purpose, duration and scope (parts of the community involved, available resources, detailed procedures and data quality requirements)
site map showing key community features, plant boundaries, possible/confirmed odour sources, topography, and most exposed or likely future sensitive receptors
field monitoring with panellist/observer locations (e.g. addresses, global positioning system (GPS) coordinates), and periods of measurement
data collection forms (e.g. observer/panellist locations, intensity levels measurements, weather conditions, odour descriptors, and observer comments and identifier)
Complaint records
Complaint records may include:
date and time of the complaint and complainant details
odour characteristic and weather conditions
actions undertaken to verify the complaint
actions undertaken to fix the issue
back communication/information to complainant
Community observer questionnaires
Community observer questionnaires may include:
use of standard terminology and questions to avoid/minimise bias
telephone interviews
newspaper notices inviting responses
diaries to collect data, such as odour strength, characteristics, date, time and location of detection, wind speed and direction, and physical reactions (e.g. itchy eyes and difficulty breathing)
face-to-face interviews with community members
Odour monitoring equipment
Odour monitoring equipment may include:
dynamic olfactometers for laboratory use when preparing panellists
reference material, such as n-butanol
torch, stopwatch and GPS
anemometer and thermometer
Pre-use checks of odour monitoring equipment
Pre-use checks of odour monitoring equipment may include:
cleanliness of reusable items
range, accuracy, precision and lowest detection limit (LDL) for dynamic olfactometer prior to preparing panellists
n-butanol storage
cleanliness of the measurement room of the olfactometry laboratory
batteries for torch, stopwatch, GPS, anemometer and thermometer
Selection and training for field and internal panellists and community observers
Selection and training for field panellists for regulatory requests may include:
use of the reference material (n-butanol) to determine odour threshold and performance of individuals in relation to normative values
use of standard dynamic olfactometry procedures
odour intensity ranking test
triangle test
odour descriptor assignation
training with odours relevant to survey objectives
effects of alertness, attention, fatigue, health status, suggestibility (imagining an odour) and variability/inconsistency of the odour detection in the field
odour panel calibration results (AS/NZS 4323.3:2001 Stationary source emissions - Determination of odour concentration by dynamic olfactometry) and traceability of the panellist tests
Selection and training for internal (in reference with the plant) field panellists may include:
internal procedures that may include n-butanol pens, odour descriptor assignation with an odour wheel, odour intensity ranking test, and triangle test
training with odours relevant to survey objectives
basic weather data descriptions
effects of alertness, attention, fatigue, health status, suggestibility (imagining an odour) and variability/inconsistency of the odour detection in the field
effects of ‘adaptation’ (reduced perceptibility) due to internal panellists’ workplace location
Selection and training for community volunteer observers may include:
procedures that may include n-butanol pens, odour descriptor assignation with an odour wheel
training with odours relevant to survey objectives
selection criteria, such as location, availability, known health problems with symptoms impacting on olfactory sense, and relevant previous training/work
use of ‘objective’ odour observation techniques
basic weather data descriptions
use of information recording forms
effects of alertness, attention, fatigue, health status, variability/inconsistency of the odour detection in the field and suggestibility (imagining an odour)
Odour monitoring data
Odour monitoring data may include:
odour source conditions at time of the assessment
field odour measurement data, such as identification of the field panellist/community observer; date, time, duration and location of the assessment; operational process conditions if available; intensity and odour characteristic reference scale used for the test; diaries or observation record sheets from community observers; table with all panellist’s and observer’s observations; meteorological conditions at the time of the assessment; any atypical conditions in the area of the assessment; processing data and interpretation; and reporting
Odour control strategies
Odour control strategies may include:
physical, such as adsorption, absorption, photo ionisation, masking and neutralisation
chemical, such as scrubbing, oxidation and incineration
biological, such as biofiltration using bacteria
combined, such as bioscrubbers
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

Overview of assessment
Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Assessors must be satisfied that the candidate can competently and consistently apply the skills covered in this unit of competency in new and different situations and context. Critical aspects of assessment and evidence include:
accurately interpreting client requests, enterprise procedures and legislative/regulatory requirements
selecting suitable field panellists and/or community observers under supervision
communicating effectively with clients, observers, panellists and community members
using olfactometry equipment to obtain reliable data
managing odour field panellists and community observers
processing odour data and confirming its acceptability
communicating the significance of results, including the discussion of any errors and/or unexpected variation to appropriate personnel
reporting results and completing all records in the required format and timeframe
working safely for the protection of self and others.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment.
Assessment should emphasise a workplace context and procedures found in the candidate’s workplace.
This unit of competency may be assessed with:
MSS025002A Assess the environmental risk or impact of a project activity or process
MSS025004A Provide environmental information to customers
MSS025010A Assist with odour source assessment.
The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team.
Resources may include:
odour measuring equipment
equipment, materials and reagents for field measurements
enterprise procedures, standard test methods and equipment manuals.
Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of odour data, results and records prepared by the candidate
feedback from peers and supervisors that the candidate consistently follows enterprise procedures, standard test methods and works safely
feedback from clients, observers, panellists about the candidate’s handling of enquiries and information
oral/written questioning associated with odour measurements, calculations, a simulated case study about regulatory field assessment and community surveys
observation of the candidate conducting olfactometry testing and/or instructing observers/panellists.
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.
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.
Guidance information for assessment