Elements and Performance Criteria

Context
Those persons who normally operate or are based permanently or regularly assigned to an onshore or offshore installation or facility and lead an emergency response team would require this unit of competency.

This unit could be applied to any of the following installations or facilities:
onshore/offshore rig/installation
island based facility
floating production vessel or platform
onshore production, processing and/or storage facilities
pipeline easements
maintenance bases.

This competency covers process manufacturing plants which may involve workplace hazards such as:
chemicals and hazardous materials
gases and liquids under pressure
moving machinery
materials handling
working at heights, in restricted or confined spaces, or environments subjected to heat, noise, dusts or vapours.

Emergency situations may include:
accidents
fires
chemical or oil spills
gas leak or vapour emission
utilities failure
bomb scares.

Equipment may include:
fire extinguishing agents and water curtains
hoses
mobile extinguishers
stretchers
personal protective clothing and equipment such as:
chemical protective clothing
distress alarms
structural fire protective clothing.
self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)
communication equipment.

Emergency extinguishing media may include:
water
foam
extinguishing powder
gaseous extinguishing agents
vapourising liquids
other fire extinguishing substances.

On-scene hazards may include:
smoke, darkness and heat
electricity
gas
structural hazards
structural collapse
industrial - machinery, equipment, product
hazardous products and materials
unauthorised personnel.

Emergency strategies and tactics may include:
direct attack
indirect attack
combination attack
exposure protection
internal/offensive attacks
confining the spread of incident
rescuing occupants
cooling the fuels
removal of fuels
interrupting the chemical chain reaction
exclusion of oxygen.

Relevant facility fire management and safety systems include:
fire management systems
communication systems
relevant facility emergency management and contingency response plans.

Relevant legislative and safety case management principles and agreements must be adhered to.

HSE
All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environment 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.

Assessment context and methods
Assessment for this unit of competency will be on an operating plant. The unit will be assessed in as holistic a manner as is practical and may be integrated with the assessment of other relevant units of competency. Assessment will occur over a range of situations which will include disruptions to normal, smooth operation.

Simulation may be required to allow for timely assessment of parts of this unit of competency. Simulation should be based on the actual plant and will include walk throughs of the relevant competency components. Simulations may also include the use of case studies/scenarios and role plays.

This unit of competency requires a significant body of knowledge which will be assessed through questioning and the use of what if scenarios both on the plant (during demonstration of normal operations and walk throughs of abnormal operations) and off the plant.

Critical aspects
Competence must be demonstrated in the ability to recognise and analyse potential situations requiring action and then in implementing appropriate corrective action. The emphasis should be on the ability to minimise the effects of the critical situation.

Consistent performance should be demonstrated. In particular look for:
ability to work effectively as a team and as a team leader
recognition of the behaviour of fire and other emergency situations
impact of emergency tactics
evidence that emergency operations are conducted in accordance with the organisation's safe work practices.

These aspects may be best assessed using a range of scenarios/case studies/what ifs as the stimulus with a walk through forming part of the response. These assessment activities should include a range of problems, including new, unusual and extreme situations which may have been generated from the past incident history of the plant, incidents on similar plants around the world, hazard analysis activities (e.g. HAZOP) and similar sources.

Resource implications
Assessment will require access to an operating plant over an extended period of time, or a suitable method of gathering evidence of operating ability over a range of situations. A bank of scenarios/case studies/what ifs will be required as will a bank of questions which will be used to probe the reasoning behind the observable actions.

Other assessment advice
The skills and knowledge contained within this unit of competency could be utilised as a normal part of a person's responsibilities and duties.

In all plants it may be appropriate to assess this unit concurrently with relevant teamwork and communication units.

It would be expected that a person undertaking this competency would have completed or be able to demonstrate competence in the following unit of competency before undertaking this unit:
PMAOHS212 - Undertake first response to fire incidents
PMAOHS213 - Undertake fire control and emergency rescue.

Essential knowledge
Knowledge and understanding of the process sufficient to recognise emergency situations and then determine an action that is appropriate within operating guidelines and the scope of their responsibilities and competencies. It would be expected that a person would be able to communicate with team members the nature and extent of the emergency and provide the actions required.

A person undertaking this competency must be able to demonstrate knowledge of:
characteristics of fires and fuel types
hazard identification, assessment and control of risk
principles and procedures of self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)
search and rescue techniques (including self rescue techniques)
relevant facility fire management and safety systems
communication systems
emergency response plans
teamwork principles and techniques.