Elements and Performance Criteria

What protective clothing or equipment may be required?
Personal protective equipment (PPE) may include ear, eye and chemical protection, gloves, respirator, safety harness, protective clothing and headgear.

What hazards may be relevant to this competency standard?
Equipment (including powered tools) and machinery operation and maintenance, vehicles, mechanical malfunctions, exposure to moving parts including hydraulics, noise, chemicals, gases, dust, manual handling, plants and animals, solar radiation, electricity, overhead hazards such as powerlines, water bodies, firearms, explosives, damaged or broken structures, damaged or worn equipment, items blocking exits, items of equipment in areas used for access, poor surfaces, and spillages and breakages.

What is included under manual handling?
Moving, lifting, shovelling, loading materials, pulling, pushing, up-ending materials, hand tool use, and handling plants and animals.

What types of instructions and notices may be relevant to this unit?
Verbal and written directions, notes, messages, rosters, labels, symbols, signs, tables, simple graphs, personnel information, safety material, dockets with customer/client details, enterprise specific data, and industry network details.

Which forms of communication may be relevant?
Face to face, telephone, written means, computers, e-mail, facsimile, 2-way radio, mobile phone, attendance at industry forums, paging systems and answering machines.

What conduct and presentation may be relevant to this standard?
Conduct includes safe behaviour when completing work tasks, punctuality, co-operation with others, and in following directions and courtesy towards others. Presentation includes dress requirements for personal safety in the working environment, the wearing or use of personal protective equipment, personal and workplace hygiene, and personal presentation for safety, e.g., the need to cover long hair or remove jewellery.

What information about the industry may be relevant to this standard?
Different sectors of the industry and the services available in each sector, relationship between sectors and other industries, industry working conditions, legislation and OHS Codes of Practice that affects the industry, industrial relations issues and major organisations, career opportunities within the industry, work ethic required to work in the industry and industry expectations of staff, and quality assurance

What employment terms and conditions may be included in this unit?
Workplace agreements, relevant union bodies, relevant awards, employment contracts and workplace requirements and etiquette.

What environmental threats and potential hazards may be included in this competency standard?
These could include spills, leaks, pollution, planned and unplanned emissions, accidents and disposal of waste, and damage or disruption to ecosystems. Also includes plants, animals or diseases that are classified as a threat or problem in an area, changes in land use, fire risks and threats, and inappropriate human interaction on the environment.

What contributions to good environmental work practices may be made?
Positive and prompt responses to changes in work practices that help the environment, discussion of environmental issues with fellow workers, reporting to supervisors on observations or information about potential environmental threats, and assistance in maintenance of records.

What specific knowledge is needed to achieve the performance criteria?

Knowledge and understanding are essential to apply this standard in the workplace, to transfer the skills to other contexts and to deal with unplanned events. The knowledge requirements for this unit are listed below:

Hazards in the industry.
OHS legislative requirements and Codes of Practice including manual handling and use, maintenance, and storage of protective equipment and clothing.
Communication procedures, systems and technology relevant to the industry.
Industry expectations of conduct, presentation and work performance (including quality and productivity).
Appropriate behaviour relating to anti-discrimination and sexual harassment.
Industry employment terms and conditions and career pathways.
Good environmental practices in the workplace.
Environmental issues relevant to the industry.

What specific skills are needed to achieve the performance criteria?

To achieve the performance criteria, some complementary skills are required. These skills include the ability to:

Observe safe work practices.
Communicate with others.
Contribute to a productive working environment.
Follow good environmental practices.

Are there other competency standards that could be assessed with this one?
This competency standard

Essential Assessment Information
There is essential information about

What processes should be applied to this competency standard? There are a number of processes that are learnt throughout work and life, which are required in all jobs. They are fundamental processes and generally transferable to other work functions. Some of these are covered by the key competencies, although others may be added. The questions below highlight how these processes are applied in this competency standard. Following each question a number in brackets indicates the level to which the key competency needs to be demonstrated where 0 = not required, 1 = perform the process, 2 = perform and administer the process and 3 = perform, administer and design the process.
Communicating ideas and information
Through verbal or written communications with others or supervisor. (1)

Collecting analysing and organising information
Through observation of instructions and notices, reporting directly to supervisors, and through completion of relevant records. (1)

Planning and organising activities
Working effectively in the industry requires limited planning and organising. (1)

Working with others and in teams
Through participating with others in undertaking work tasks. (1)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
Not Applicable. (0)

Solving problems
Problems requiring simple solutions may arise and should be referred to supervisors for guidance. (1)

Using technology
Technology will be used in communications with others. (1)