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.
Feller buncher may be:
wheeled
tracked
OHS requirements:
are to be in line with applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation and regulations, and organisational safety policies and procedures, and may include:
personal protective equipment and clothing
safety equipment
first aid equipment
fire fighting equipment
hazard and risk control
fatigue management
elimination of hazardous materials and substances
safe forest practices including required actions relating to forest fire location of other people, and potential falling objects
manual handling including shifting, lifting and carrying
Environmental requirements may include:
legislation
organisational policies and procedures
workplace practices
Legislative requirements:
are to be in line with applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation, regulations, certification requirements and codes of practice and may include:
award and enterprise agreements
industrial relations
Australian Standards
confidentiality and privacy
OHS
the environment
equal opportunity
anti-discrimination
relevant industry codes of practice
duty of care
heritage and traditional land owner issues
Organisational requirements may include:
legal
organisational and site guidelines
policies and procedures relating to own role and responsibility
quality assurance
procedural manuals
quality and continuous improvement processes and standards
OHS, emergency and evacuation procedures
ethical standards
recording and reporting requirements
equipment use and maintenance and storage requirements
environmental management requirements (waste disposal, recycling and re-use guidelines)
Environmental protection measures
may include action to limit the impact to:
ground growth and canopy
soil and water
may include action to limit the impact of:
general forest lean
wind speed and direction
fallen trees
density of trees
ground slope
ground hazards
obstacles
Work order is to include:
instructions for feller buncher operations including trees to be felled and retained, and logs to be bunched
and may include:
information about tree markings, site plans, forest operational plans
emergency procedures in case of fire and/or accident
instructions for the environmental monitoring of work and procedures
environmental care requirements relevant to the work
Appropriate personnel may include:
supervisors
suppliers
clients
colleagues
managers
Logs may include:
range of species
size
conditions to be encountered in local harvesting operations
softwood or hardwood
Safe working conditions
may include identification of:
risks and hazards
unsafe ground
fences
holes, pot holes
materials
vehicles
abandoned equipment
personnel
adverse weather conditions (electrical storms, floods)
fires
Feller buncher operations
must include:
the mechanical felling of trees and pre-bunching of logs and stems
and may include:
segregating and stacking logs
snigging and skidding logs
loading and unloading logs
shovel logging
Planning
requires ensuring minimal equipment and log movement during operations including verifying level and stable surfaces for safely relocating logs on equipment
Environmental and heritage concerns may include:
dust
noise
water
flora and fauna
heritage legislation
culturally sensitive sites and artefacts
plantations
native forest
Communication may include:
verbal and non-verbal language
hand or other agreed signals
eye contact with other operators or personnel
active listening
questioning to clarify and confirm understanding
use of electronic communication devices
Capabilities of equipment and/or attachments may include:
efficient and safe operating speed
duration of operation
type of activities performed
weight and/or load limitations
operating limitations
Pre-operational checks
are conducted to ensure equipment and attachments have been set-up correctly, the systems are performing accurately and operating to optimum performance
and may relate to:
visual and audio warning devices and lights
engine and stop engine lights
fluid levels
cab display instrumentation and gauges
on-board computer systems
start-up, park and shutdown procedures including safety mechanisms operation (horn, operating lights)
correct location of equipment
vehicle security
Attachments may include:
hydraulic chainsaws
hydraulic sheer knives
Hazards may include:
uneven/unstable terrain
trees
fires
overhead and underground services
bridges
buildings
excavations
traffic
embankment
cuttings
structures and hazardous materials
Site conditions may include:
wet/dry
day/night
stability of ground
broken ground
slope of working surface
location of water table
Emergency plan may include:
notification of authorities
evacuation procedures
isolation procedures
equipment shutdown procedures
clean up
first aid
use of personal protective equipment and clothing
guarding
access and exit
Cutting sequence is to include:
the best direction or angle for making cuts to facilitate achieving the fall direction
Visual inspection and fault finding procedures may include:
vehicle number
danger tags
personnel proximity
tyres and rim condition
wheel nuts and studs
light positioning and cleanliness
radiator top up tank
oil leaks, fuel leaks
water leaks
no combustible material around exhaust
damage to equipment
portable fire extinguisher
fire suppression system
cab mounts
windows
engine oil to be checked before starting engine
grease lines
cab conditions
Routine operational servicing may include:
checking fluid levels
greasing
tightening loose fittings
filter changing
Cleaning methods may include:
water
steam
degreasing
vacuum
forced air
Records and reports may include:
end of shift documentation
work log
supplies
log and computer readings
and may be:
manual
using a computer-based system or another appropriate organisational communication system

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
A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence that they can safely and efficiently conduct feller buncher operations in line with organisational requirements
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to, and satisfy, all of the requirements of the elements of this unit and include demonstration of:
following applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislative and regulatory requirements and codes of practice relevant to conducting feller buncher operations
following organisational policies and procedures relevant to conducting feller buncher operations
following applicable licensing or certification requirements
communicating effectively and working safely with others in the work area
planning, preparing and carrying out feller buncher operations to safely and efficiently fall trees mechanically and pre-bunch logs and stems
conducting pre-operational checks and routine operational servicing of equipment
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Competency is to be assessed in the workplace or realistically simulated workplace
Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints
Assessment of required knowledge, other than confirmatory questions, will usually be conducted in an off-site context
Assessment is to follow relevant regulatory or Australian Standards requirements
The following resources should be made available:
workplace location or simulated workplace
materials and equipment relevant to undertaking work applicable to this unit
specifications and work instructions
Method of assessment
Assessment must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the FPI11 Training Package
Assessment methods must confirm consistency and accuracy of performance (over time and in a range of workplace relevant contexts) together with application of required knowledge
Assessment must be by direct observation of tasks, with questioning on required knowledge and it must also reinforce the integration of employability skills
Assessment methods must confirm the ability to access and correctly interpret and apply the required knowledge
Assessment may be applied under project-related conditions (real or simulated) and require evidence of process
Assessment must confirm a reasonable inference that competency is able not only to be satisfied under the particular circumstance, but is able to be transferred to other circumstances
Assessment may be in conjunction with assessment of other units of competency
The assessment environment should not disadvantage the candidate
Assessment practices should take into account any relevant language or cultural issues related to Aboriginality, gender or language backgrounds other than English
Where the participant has a disability, reasonable adjustment may be applied during assessment
Language and literacy demands of the assessment task should not be higher than those of the work role