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.
Enterprise policies, procedures and programs incorporate all relevant aspects of OHS legislation and the codes, 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 include
AS 2243 Safety in laboratories
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 of corrosive liquids
AS 4452 Storage and handling of toxic substances
standards for the segregation of wastes (AS 2243.3 and AS 2243.4)
AS/NEC/ISO 14000
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.
A hazard is a source or situation with a potential for harm in terms of human injury or ill-health, damage to property, the environment or a combination of these. Physical hazards may be considered to be sources of energy that, if not controlled, may cause injury or damage.

Hazards may include
electric shock
microbiological organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products, human or animal tissue and fluids
solar radiation, dust, noise
chemicals, such as acids, heavy metals, pesticides, hydrocarbons
aerosols from broken centrifuge tubes, pipetting
radiation, such as alpha, beta, gamma, X-ray, 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, 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 in confined spaces
crushing, entanglement, cuts associated with moving machinery or falling objects
pedestrian and vehicular traffic
vehicle and boat handling.

Addressing hazards may include
hazard and incident reporting and investigation procedures
elimination
substitution, such as review of nature of substances or processes used
isolation, such as-
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, materials safety data sheets 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 material safety data sheets (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, gown, body suits, respirators and safety boots.
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.

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, 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, batch sheets
industry Codes of Practice and guidelines.
Risk is the chance of something happening that will result in injury or damage. It is measured in terms of consequences and likelihood. Risk management is the systematic process that is directed towards identifying hazards, assessing the risk and developing controls to minimise the risk and monitoring the effectiveness of the controls (and taking action as required).
It may include using a risk register.

Risk assessment is a process that involves analysing the risk, identifying factors influencing the risk and the range of potential consequences and assessing
effectiveness of existing controls
likelihood of each consequence considering exposure and hazard level
combining these in some way to obtain a level of risk.
A complete risk assessment will also include 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 is also referred to as the safety decision hierarchy' and describes 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, for example, procedures and training
using personal protective equipment.

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 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 on line 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 include
workplace injury and accidents
biological and chemical spills
leakage of radioactivity
fire
bomb threat
security threat.

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 potential 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:

works safely at all times
ensures others in the workgroup work safely and follow OHS and environmental policies and procedures for hazard identification and risk control
communicates health and safety and environmental issues with designated personnel
ensures that enterprise procedures for dealing with incidents and emergencies are available and known by work group
communicates effectively with personnel at all levels within the enterprise and OHS specialists
can prepare brief reports for a range of target groups, including OHS committee, OHS representatives, managers and supervisors.

Underpinning knowledge

Competency includes the ability to apply and explain:

hazards commonly found in the work area and standard risk controls
signage, symbols and signals relating to OHS
location and purpose of personal protective equipment and emergency/hazard control equipment in the work area, including first aid facilities and personnel
use, care and storage requirements for personal protective clothing and equipment used in work areas
roles and responsibilities under OHS legislation of employers and employees, including supervisors and contractors
requirements for record keeping that address OHS, privacy and other relevant legislation
principles and practices of effective OHS management, including hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control
the hierarchy of control
enterprise procedures for OHS and environmental management
key personnel within enterprise management structure and the OHS management system
sources of OHS information, including specialist advisors.

Knowledge is also required of:

the elements of an Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) which includes that part of the enterprise's overall management system for developing, implementing, reviewing and maintaining the activities for managing OHS risks associated with their business
how the characteristics and composition of the workforce impact on OHS management (for example language and literacy, communication skills, cultural background, gender, workers with special needs, part time, casual or contract workers).

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:

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 OHSMS, 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. Questioning techniques should suit the language and literacy levels of the candidate.

Interdependent assessment of unit
This unit of competency may be assessed with any other relevant technical units in the context of the need to perform all work safely.

Resource implications

Resources may include:

laboratory/field work environment, equipment and materials
personal protective equipment, safety equipment
enterprise OHS management system, policies and procedures

This competency in practice
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 material data safety sheets 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.

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
(2)

Collecting analysing and organising information
(2)

Planning and organising activities
(2)

Working with others and in teams
(2)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
(2)

Solving problems
(2)

Using technology
(2)