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 1678 Emergency procedure guide - Transport
AS 1940-2004 Storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids
AS 2252 Biological safety cabinets
AS 3780-2008 The storage and handling of corrosive substances
AS ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
AS/NZS 1269 Set:2005 Occupational noise management set
AS/NZS 1337 Eye protection
AS/NZS 2161 Set:2008 Occupational protective gloves set
AS/NZS 2210:1994 Occupational protective footwear
AS/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set
AS/NZS 2982.1:1997 Laboratory design and construction - General requirements
AS/NZS 4452:1997 The storage and handling of toxic substances
AS/NZS 4501 Set:2008 Occupational clothing set
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
HB 9-1994 Occupational personal protection
Australian Dangerous Goods Code
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) Import Guidelines
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) Codes of Practice
gene technology regulations
Guide to physical containment levels and facility types
National Code of Practice for the labelling of workplace substances [NOHSC:2012 (1994)]
OHS national standards and codes of practice
Hazards
Hazards may include:
electric shock
microbiological organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products, and human or animal tissue and fluids
solar radiation, dust and noise
chemicals, such as acids, heavy metals, pesticides and hydrocarbons
aerosols from broken centrifuge tubes and pipetting
radiation, such as alpha, beta, gamma, X-ray and neutron
sharps, broken glassware and hand tools
flammable liquids and gases
cryogenics, such as dry ice and liquid nitrogen
fluids under pressure, such as steam, hydrogen in gas liquid chromatography and acetylene in atomic absorption spectrometry
sources of ignition
high temperature ashing processes
disturbance or interruption of services
occupational overuse syndrome, slips, trips and falls
manual handling, working at heights and working in confined spaces
crushing, entanglement and cuts associated with moving machinery or falling objects
pedestrian and vehicular traffic
vehicle and boat handling
factors, such as inadequate work practices, lack of training or fatigue are not hazards but are conditions that may result in the loss of control of the hazard and cause injury or damage
Addressing hazards
Addressing hazards may include:
hazard and incident reporting and investigation procedures
elimination
substitution, such as review of nature of substances or processes used
isolation:
use of appropriate equipment, such as biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets
Class PCII, PCIII, and PCIV physical containment laboratories
engineering
administrative procedures, such as:
ensuring access to service shut-off points
recognising and observing hazard warnings and safety signs
labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials
handling and storing hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labelling, MSDS and manufacturer's instructions
identifying and reporting operating problems or equipment malfunctions
cleaning and decontaminating equipment and work areas regularly using enterprise procedures
applying containment procedures
following established manual handling procedures for tasks involving manual handling
using appropriate equipment and procedures to avoid personal contamination and contamination of others
following risk control measures to minimise environmental hazards
using practices which minimise waste
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
minimising exposure to radiation, such as lasers, electromagnetic and ultraviolet
using MSDS
using signage, barriers and service isolation tags
using personal protective equipment, such as hard hats, hearing protection, sunscreen lotion, gloves, safety glasses, goggles, face guards, coveralls, gowns, body suits, respirators and safety boots
Enterprise policies, procedures and programs include those that directly or indirectly cover OHS and environmental issues
Enterprise policies, procedures and programs include those that directly or indirectly cover OHS and environmental issues, such as:
hazards and control measures
minimisation of environmental threats
minimisation and disposal of waste
standard operating procedures (SOPs), work instructions, laboratory manuals, operator's manuals and manufacturers' operating manuals
safety, emergency, fire and other incidents
selection and use of personal protective clothing and equipment
reporting of hazards and incidents
consultation and issue resolution
risk management
contractor and employee handbooks
formulas and batch sheets
industry codes of practice and guidelines
Risk assessment
Risk assessment includes:
analysing the risk
identifying factors influencing the risk and the range of potential consequences
effectiveness of existing controls
likelihood of each consequence considering exposure and hazard level
combining these in some way to obtain a level of risk
comparison of the determined risk with pre-established criteria for tolerance (or as low as reasonably achievable) and the subsequent ranking of risks requiring control
Hierarchy of control
Hierarchy of control includes:
the preferred order of risk-control measures from most to least preferred, that is:
eliminating risk
substituting with a lesser hazard
isolating personnel from hazard
engineering controls
applying administrative controls (e.g. procedures and training)
using personal protective equipment
OHS and environmental issues
OHS and environmental issues may include:
identification of hazards
assessment of risk and decisions on measures to control risk
risk reduction measures
implementation of controls
investigation of injury and incidents
hazards not otherwise addressed
problems in implementing risk controls
incidents
clarification of policies or procedures
Consultation with the workgroup on OHS and environmental issues
Consultation with the workgroup on OHS and environmental issues may involve:
following OHS procedures and environmental risk control measures
information sessions on existing or new issues
meetings between employer and employees or representatives
access to relevant workplace information
use of clear and understandable language
provision for non-English speaking personnel
provision for hearing-impaired personnel
awareness of databases and online software for the inventory, manifest and information retrieval regarding hazardous materials
formal arrangements, such as health and safety committees and health and safety representatives (where appointed)
informal arrangements, such as toolbox meetings and coffee breaks
Incidents and emergencies
Incidents and emergencies may include:
workplace injury and accidents
biological and chemical spills
leakage of radioactivity
fire
bomb threat
security threat
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:
work safely at all times
ensure others in the workgroup work safely and follow OHS and environmental policies and procedures for hazard identification and risk control
communicateOHS and environmental issues with designated personnel
ensure that enterprise procedures for dealing with incidents and emergencies are available and known by work group
communicate effectively with personnel at all levels within the enterprise and OHS specialists
prepare brief reports for a range of target groups.

Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.
Resources may include:
laboratory/field work environment, equipment and materials
personal protective equipment and safety equipment
enterprise OHS management system, policies and procedures.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
feedback from peers and supervisors
review of documentation prepared by candidate, such as OHS committee minutes, risk assessments and incident reports
written and/or oral questioning to assess underpinning knowledge of principles and practices of effective OHS management and the enterprise's OHS management system, OHS policies and procedures
observation of the candidate preparing for and undertaking a range of work tasks.
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 study below to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and to show its relevance in a workplace setting.
Education
A technical officer working for a university biology school assists honours and final year undergraduate students to perform their own experiments. The students discuss what technical work they want to do with the technical officer and what reagents and equipment will be needed. The technical officer provides MSDS and other information to the student. He/she also conducts a risk assessment to identify and analyse the risks, selects appropriate controls and outlines the risk management process to be used. In some cases, the toxicity of mixtures and the waste generated by experiments may pose an unacceptable level of risk and the technical officer will suggest safer alternatives.