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 2252 Biological safety cabinets
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 2982.1:1997 Laboratory design and construction-General requirements
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
AS/NZS ISO 9000 Set:2008 Quality management systems set
AS 2830.1 Good laboratory practice - Chemical analysis
AS 2162.1 General - Volumetric glassware
AS 2134.1 Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy
ISO/IEC Guide 98-3:2008 Uncertainty of measurement - Part 3 Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM)
Eurachem/CITAC Guide CG4 Quantifying uncertainty in analytical measurement
Australian code of good manufacturing practice for medicinal products (GMP)
calibration and maintenance schedules
cleaning, hygiene and personal hygiene requirements
data quality procedures
enterprise procedures, SOPs and operating manuals
enterprise recording and reporting procedures
equipment startup, operation and shutdown procedures
incident and accident/injury reports
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
material, production and product specifications
national measurement regulations and guidelines
principles of GLP
production and laboratory schedules
quality manuals, equipment and procedure manuals
quality system and continued improvement processes
safety requirements for equipment, materials or products
sampling procedures (labelling, preparation, storage, transport and disposal)
schematics, work flows and laboratory layouts
statutory and enterprise OHS requirements
stock records and inventory
test procedures (validated and authorised)
training program contents
waste minimisation, containment, processing and disposal procedures
Specialised analytical instruments
Specialised analytical instruments may include:
spectrometric instruments such as:
electrothermal (AAS)
vapour generation (AAS)
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and diffraction (XRD)
nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
mass spectrometry (MS)
neutron activation analysis (NAA)
inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)
chromatographic instruments such as:
GC-MS
GC sampling devices (e.g. headspace and thermal desorption)
specialised GC detection devices (e.g. electron capture detector (ECD), flame photometric detector (FPD) and nitrogen phosphorous detection (NPD))
specialised GC detection devices (e.g. fluorescent, diode array and electrochemical)
liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy (LC-MS), electro-spray MS
gas chromatography fourier transform infra red (GC-FTIR)
electrometric instruments, such as anodic stripping voltammetry
flow injection analytical equipment
Tests requiring specialised instruments
Tests requiring specialised instruments may include:
trace analysis
non-destructive testing
multi-analyte determination
analysis involving high sample throughput
Instrument sub-systems
Instrument sub-systems may include:
sample introduction units and auto sampling equipment
detectors and signal conditioning units
temperature control devices such as cryostats, ovens, and thermostat baths
software control/interface
Sample preparation
Sample preparation may include:
identification of any hazards associated with the samples and/or analytical chemicals
grinding, mulling, preparation of disks, digestion, dissolving, ashing, refluxing, extraction, filtration, evaporation, flocculation, precipitation, washing, drying and centrifugation
solid-phase micro-extraction
determination of, and if appropriate, removal of any contaminants or impurities
ultra-trace procedures requiring high purity solvents, clean rooms, ultra clean glassware and specialised glassware
Common analytical procedure and equipment problems
Common analytical procedure and equipment problems may include:
sample introduction blockages
incomplete atomisation of analyte
poor resolution of peaks
poor sensitivity
Hazards
Hazards may include:
electric shock
biohazards:
microbiological organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products, and human or animal tissue and fluids
mycotoxins
chemicals:
acids (e.g. sulphuric, perchloric and hydrofluoric)
heavy metals and pesticides
anions (e.g. fluoride)
hydrocarbons (e.g. mono-aromatics)
radiation (alpha, beta, gamma, X-ray and neutron)
sharps and broken glassware
aerosols from broken centrifuge tubes and pipetting
flammable liquids and gases
cryogenics such as dry ice and liquid nitrogen
fluids under pressure such as hydrogen in gas liquid chromatography and acetylene in atomic absorption spectrometry
sources of ignition
high temperature ashing processes
disturbance or interruption of services
Addressing hazards
Addressing hazards may include:
use of MSDS
labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials
personal protective equipment such as gloves, safety glasses, and coveralls
use of fumehoods, direct extraction of vapours, gases
use of appropriate equipment such as biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets
handling and storage of all hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labelling, MSDS and manufacturer's instructions
minimising exposure to radiation ionising such as lasers, electromagnetic and ultraviolet (UV) radiation
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:
interpret client request, test methods and procedures accurately
safely set up, start up and shut down equipment using enterprise procedures
assemble checks and optimise instrument sub-systems
check calibration/qualification status of equipment
prepare samples and standards appropriately
optimise procedures and equipment to suit sample/test requirements
operate equipment to obtain valid and reliable data
calculate analyte concentrations with appropriate accuracy, precision and units
recognise atypical data/results
troubleshoot common analytical procedure and equipment problems
apply theoretical knowledge to interpret data and make relevant conclusions
record and report data/results using enterprise procedures
maintain security, integrity and traceability of samples and documentation
follow OHS procedures and principles of GLP.

Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.
This unit of competency may be assessed with:
MSL925001 Analyse data and report results.
Resources may include:
standard laboratory with specialised analytical instruments
laboratory reagents and equipment
SOPs and test methods.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of test data/results obtained by the candidate over time to ensure accuracy, consistency and timeliness of results
inspection of test records and enterprise documentation completed by the candidate
observation of candidate using specialised instruments to measure analytes
feedback from clients, peers and supervisors
oral or written questioning of relevant chemical principles, concepts, analytical techniques and enterprise procedures.
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.
Environmental (1)
If oysters and other shellfish accumulate significant levels of heavy metals, they can represent a public health risk when consumed by humans. Analysis of heavy metal residues requires digestion of the sample in a concentrated acid, typically nitric. The digest is diluted in ultra pure water and analysed by standard addition and electrothermal atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) using a phosphate modifier to reduce lead volatility. The technician must pay careful attention to the digestion process and to the widely varying absorbances that will result from oysters of having accumulated different concentrations of residue.
Manufacturing (1)
Electrothermal atomic absorption (AA) spectrophotometers are one of the more common instruments for the analysis of microgram/litre levels of metals. Setting up the instrument requires more skill and care than a normal flame AAS instrument. Firstly, the technician must check the graphite tube for wear, replace it if necessary, and re-align it. The auto sampler delivery tube must also be checked for its alignment so that delivery of the micro-litre aliquots of solution is accurate and precise. The technician must also make the standards with great attention to avoid contamination from glassware and reagents.
Manufacturing (2)
The physical and mechanical properties of metal alloys are crucially dependent on their composition. Therefore, the composition of alloys must be checked carefully. While acid dissolution and analysis by flame AAS or ICP emission spectroscopy is possible, one of the most common techniques used is X-ray fluorescence (XRF) because it does not have the same demanding sample preparation requirements. XRF samples, after polishing to remove any surface defects, can be analysed directly against reference standards of the same alloy. Control of instrument variables is critical in obtaining accurate results. This requires the technician to carefully optimise a number of components within the overall instrument before conducting the analysis.
Environmental (2)
An insurance company contracted a consulting laboratory to conduct tests on an accelerant residue that may have been used in a recent arson attack on a local school building. The residue was run through a column chromatograph and compared with reference standards (such as petrol, kerosene, 50% mixtures, evaporated petrol) to establish the identity of the sample. Confirmation of these results was obtained by using a GC-MS instrument to establish the identity of the sample beyond reasonable doubt along with additional tests for heavy metals such as lead.