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 1678 Emergency procedure guide - Transport
AS 1940-2004 Storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids
AS 2252 Biological safety cabinets
AS 3780-2008 The storage and handling of corrosive substances
AS ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
AS/NZS 1269 Set:2005 Occupational noise management set
AS/NZS 1337 Eye protection
AS/NZS 2161 Set:2008 Occupational protective gloves set
AS/NZS 2210:1994 Occupational protective footwear
AS/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set
AS/NZS 2865 Set:2005 Safe working in a confined space set
AS/NZS 2982.1:1997 Laboratory design and construction - General requirements
AS/NZS 4187:2003 Cleaning, disinfecting and sterilizing reusable medical and surgical instruments and equipment, and maintenance of associated environments in health care facilities
AS/NZS 4452:1997 The storage and handling of toxic substances
AS/NZS 4501 Set:2008 Occupational clothing set
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
HB 9-1994 Occupational personal protection
Australian Dangerous Goods Code
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) Export Control (Orders) Regulations 1982
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) Import Guidelines
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) Codes of Practice
batch sheets
contractor and employee handbooks
emergency, fire and incident procedures
environmental incident procedures
formulas
gene technology regulations
guide to physical containment levels and facility types
handling and disposal of micro-organisms and heavy metals
hazard policies and procedures
hazardous goods manifest and substance register
immunisation registers for employees at risk
maintenance schedules
manufacturers' operating manuals
monitoring and appropriate tasking of personnel with possible infections
National Code of Practice for the labelling of workplace substances [NOHSC:2012 (1994)]
national environment protection measures
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Guidelines
OHS national standards and codes of practice
personal protective clothing and equipment procedures
safety procedures
standard operating procedures (SOPs)
work instructions
Stakeholders
Stakeholders may include:
managers
supervisors
health and safety and other employee representatives
OHS committees
laboratory and production personnel
external OHS agencies
workers' families
the community
Participative processes with employees and their representatives
Participative processes with employees and their representatives may include:
committees:
OHS
consultative
planning
employee and supervisor involvement in OHS activities such as inspections, audits and risk assessments
procedures for reporting hazards and raising and addressing OHS issues
identification of hazards
assessment of level of risk
implementation of risk control measures and review of effectiveness
injury and incident investigations
the development of policies and procedures
review of OHS records and statistics
review of registers of hazardous substances and dangerous goods
audits and workplace inspections
job safety analysis
consultation with workers
Characteristics and composition of the workforce which have an impact on OHS and environmental management
Characteristics and composition of the workforce which have an impact on OHS and environmental management may include:
language and literacy
communication skills
cultural background
gender
workers with special needs
part time, casual or contract workers
Hazard identification processes
Hazard identification processes include:
review of hazard and incident reports
workplace inspections
pre-purchase risk assessments
review of relevant internal documentation, including material safety data sheets (MSDS), manufacturer's manuals and minutes of meetings
review of legislation, codes of practice, standards and guidelines
review of publications such as:
OHS regulators
industry bodies
journals
newsletters
Risk assessment
Risk assessment is a process that involves analysing the risk to identify 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
Hierarchy of control, also referred to as the 'safety decision hierarchy' describes the preferred order of risk control measures from most to least preferred, that is:
elimination, or where this is not practical
substitution with a lesser hazard
isolate personnel from hazard
engineering controls
administrative controls, such as enterprise procedures and training
personal protective equipment
Data for evaluation of the management systems
Data for evaluation of the management systems may include:
hazard, incident and injury reports
workplace inspections
audit reports
formal and informal input of employees
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:
access and interpret relevant sections of OHS and environmental legislation, regulations, codes of practice and updates
analyse the work environment and judge OHS and/or environmental interventions
consult employees and other stakeholders on safety and environmental issues, hazard identification, risk assessment, selection and implementation of control measures and their review
raise issues related to concerns with safety of work systems and work environment through consultation with management and employees
promptly address OHS and environmental management issues within their area of control
develop and implement improvements in work practices and procedures to reduce the risk of illness and injury and meet OHS legislative requirements
provide appropriate supervision, support and information in accordance with workplace procedures
keep OHS and environmental records complete, current and secure
communicate effectively with personnel at all levels of the organisation and OHS specialists
prepares summary reports for a range of target groups, including OHS committee, OHS representatives, managers and supervisors.

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 units dealing with communication, supervision and training, for example:
MSL915001A Provide information to customers
MSL916003A Supervise laboratory operations in work/functional area
MAL916004A Maintain registration and statutory or legal compliance in work/functional area.
Resources may include:
relevant OHS and environmental legislation and regulations
codes of practice
workplace procedures.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of information developed by the candidate and provided to the work group
review of records and reports generated by the candidate
feedback from team members and managers regarding provision of information and the candidate's ability to implement and monitor established management systems
written and/or oral questioning to assess underpinning knowledge and likely reactions to simulated incidents.
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.
Manufacturing
The smoke alarms have sounded and a general evacuation of the building has commenced. The fire brigade has been summoned in accordance with enterprise procedures. All personnel, except the designated floor wardens, have moved to the assembly area. The supervising staff report to the brigade officers that there is smoke and fumes on the first floor. The brigade officers don respirators and enter the building. A search establishes that a small fire has started in the drying oven when technicians used it to evaporate off a flammable solvent. The incident is the result of a careless mistake. With the cause of the smoke fumes identified, the brigade officers organise for the air conditioning system to exhaust the fumes. Once the building can be accessed, the laboratory supervisor prepares an incident report, organises follow-up counselling for the laboratory staff and implements measures to prevent a recurrence of the hazardous situation.
Food processing
A supervisor in the laboratory of a food processing company was concerned that an audit of the risks associated with the company's activities had never been performed. When individual risk situations were identified they were usually addressed on a case by case basis. The supervisor realised that this approach did not have the rigour to identify less obvious hazards. A risk audit was conducted in cooperation with the laboratory team to overcome this deficiency. The audit progressed well and was performed without unduly disrupting the primary functions of the laboratory. Several previously unrecognised hazards were identified. One of the more esoteric hazards concerned the use of proteases and lipases to selectively digest specific food components. Before the audit, these enzymes were thought harmless. However, it was discovered that these bacterial proteins could provoke a potentially fatal allergic reaction in sensitised individuals especially after inhalation. Furthermore, repeated exposure could induce sensitivity. After this hazard was identified, a SOP was developed for handling these enzymes. Individuals likely to come into close contact with the enzymes were required to regularly undergo an allergen sensitivity test.