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 ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
AS/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
AS/NZS ISO 9000 Set:2008 Quality management systems set
Australia New Zealand Food Standards (ANZFS) Code
Australian code of good manufacturing practice for medicinal products (GMP)
Australian Dangerous Goods Code
occupational health and safety (OHS) national standards and codes of practice
principles of good laboratory practice (GLP)
standard Australian test methods
registration/licensing requirements
ethical and legal responsibilities of enterprise personnel such as:
animal welfare
poisons
environmental protection
National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accreditation
staff performance measures, such as:
SOPs
three stage proficiency testing (external, interpersonal and replicate)
customer needs, specific testing requirements and standards
waste auditing and minimisation processes
strategic plans, productivity/profit targets and business plans
quality and continuous improvement processes and standards
cost-benefit analysis principles
workplace industrial agreements
hygiene/dress/behaviour regulations
grievance and dispute resolution procedures
access/equity/ethics principles, processes and procedures
batch cards, work schedules and rosters
maintenance and housekeeping schedules
Equipment and systems
Equipment and systems may include:
computer equipment
information management systems
financial accounting systems
Problem solving
Problem solving may include:
troubleshooting and fault finding
risk analysis, root cause analysis and aspect/impact analysis
non-routine operational/technical problems
non-routine administrative and personnel related problems
Communication
Communication may be with:
supervisors and managers
laboratory and production personnel
work teams
members of the public
customers
suppliers
Supervisory responsibilities
Supervisory responsibilities may include:
work practices within functional area:
determining quality assurance sequences to minimise errors and inconsistencies
participating in external quality control programs
ensuring documentation of results and that data is processed and records maintained
personnel within functional area:
developing rosters to fulfil both work requirements and skill development opportunities
identifying roles and responsibilities for individuals and team members
providing effective communication pathways to ensure smooth and efficient operations
encouraging teams to solve problems relating to work flow and to suggest possible improvements to work organisation to maximise efficiency
operational plans:
determining work schedules that use resources efficiently and meet customer and enterprise needs
identifying possible variances of operational plans in order to prepare contingency plans
operational performance:
recognising problems and initiating corrective actions
continuously improving the skills of personnel in the workplace
Occupational health and safety (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:
collect, analyse and reporton information for enterprise operational plans, budgets and performance management
organise and optimise the use of resources within agreed parameters to achieve planned outcomes
revise plans to take account of the unexpected
make decisions within limits of responsibility and authority
supervise laboratory operations and personnel so that planned outcomes are achieved within agreed resource and budget parameters without compromising safety, quality and ethics
ensure that legislation, statutory and enterprise requirements are met in work operations
monitor outputs, analyses processes and introduce ways to improve operations
solve a range of non-routine problems
use effective consultative processes
promote a learning environment for personnel in immediate work area
motivate and counsel personnel to improve performance.

Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency should be assessed in a laboratory environment that meets Australian standards for working laboratories or is accredited by NATA or the Royal College of Pathology. The assessment timeframe must allow for adequate assessment over a planning cycle.
This unit of competency may be assessed with:
MSL916002A Manage and develop teams
MSL916004A Maintain registration and statutory or legal compliance in work/functional area
MSL946001A Implement and monitor OHS and environmental management systems.
Resources may include:
laboratory equipped with appropriate services, equipment, instruments and consumables
relevant enterprise policies, procedures, operational reports, financial reports and stock records
technical manuals, SOPs and quality manuals.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
direct observation of the candidate's interactions with personnel
review of reports from subordinates, peers, managers and customers
review of reports, operational budgets and plans generated by the candidate
review of performance reports for the candidate's work area
review of documented examples of quality performance improvements achieved and examples of significant problems solved
simulations/role plays to assess situations which are critical but did not arise during the negotiated assessment period.
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 studies below to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and to show its relevance in a workplace setting.
Manufacturing
A laboratory supervisor analysed the costs of regular heavy metal testing of the wastewater stream leaving the company's plant. He/she compared these costs with a quotation from an external environmental consulting company and noted that it would be more cost effective to outsource the current level of testing. However, the supervisor argued that the company should retain this capability in-house given the impact of impending legislation which will require it to develop an environmental management plan and introduce more complex monitoring. He/she demonstrated that it would benefit the company more in the long run if they recruited one new technician, retrained existing laboratory staff and continued to perform all wastewater testing on site.
Food processing
A technical officer had to complete a wide range of chemical analyses that required samples to be ignited for many hours in a muffler furnace, digested with acid, prepared for analysis by atomic absorption spectroscopy and gas chromatography (GC), and titrated against standard solutions. The laboratory supervisor noticed that the number of analyses performed each day by the technician tended to fluctuate widely without an obvious cause. Closer observation showed that the technician's efficiency was dependent on the order in which the analyses were begun and the use of the auto sampler for overnight operation of the GC.
The supervisor suggested several ways to improve the technician's time management. The supervisor installed a timer on the muffler furnace so that it could be operated overnight and organised the technician to perform labour intensive tasks after automated analyses had been initiated. The supervisor then showed the technician the optimum order to perform individual tasks and verified that his instructions were followed over succeeding weeks. The supervisor's actions significantly improved the productivity of the laboratory. Later it became obvious that the technician's time management system was not working as effectively as it had. Again, the supervisor monitored the technician's work and realised that since the daily analytical load was seasonal, a second management system had to be developed that was dedicated to the new season. Both systems were sufficiently flexible to take account of short term fluctuations in workload. In summary, the organisational skills of the supervisor and technician's ability to follow detailed instructions resulted in a more efficient use of company time, labour and resources.