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 1199 Sampling procedures and tables for inspection by attributes
AS 1678 Emergency procedure guide -Transport
AS 1940-2004 Storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids
AS 3780-2008 The storage and handling of corrosive substances
AS 3988-1991 Copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver ores - Guide to sample preparation for the determination of gold
AS 4433.2-1997 Guide to the sampling of particulate materials - Preparation of samples
AS ISO 1000-1998 The international system of units (SI) and its application
AS/NZS 4452:1997 The storage and handling of toxic substances
enterprise recording and reporting procedures
equipment startup, operation and shutdown procedures
MSDS
national measurement regulations and guidelines
principles of good laboratory practice (GLP)
production and laboratory schedules
quality manuals, equipment and procedures manuals
standard operating procedures (SOPs) and published preparation methods
Samples
Samples may include:
solids, such as rocks, minerals, soils, sands and stream sediments
core and other drill samples (e.g. rotary air blast (RAB), reverse circulation (RC) and aircore)
slurries, powder concentrates and metallurgical solutions
dump samples and grab samples
Client requests/documentation
Client requests/documentation may include:
client profile, sample identification and sample receipt
preparation methods, storage and analyses required
service charges
Preparation methods
Preparation methods may include:
sorting, boxing and drying
sieving
primary crushing (e.g. 10 mm, 2 mm)
fine pulverising (e.g. 100 micron, 75 micron)
partial digestion requiring separation (e.g. aqua regia)
complete digestion (e.g. multi-acid digest)
non-destructive (e.g. LIF, Li2B4O7 disks)
solvent extraction (e.g. di isobutyl ketone dibK)
Preparation equipment
Preparation equipment may include:
splitters (e.g. riffles and rotary dividers)
mills (e.g. ball, ring and rod)
bowls (e.g. chrome-steel, tungsten-carbide and zirconia) and tumblers
crushers (e.g. cone, jaw and roll), grinders and disc pulverisers
sieves
ovens, muffle furnaces, hot plates and microwave ovens
ultrasonic baths
centrifuges and vacuum and pressure filtration
volumetric glassware/plastic ware and dispensers
analytical balances
auto-samplers
sample containers and labels
Hazards
Hazards may include:
asbestiform minerals, dust, silica and fibrous samples
chemicals, such as hydrofluoric acid, bromine, perchloric acid, aqua regia, cyanide, lead-based compounds, free-mercury and nickel compounds
noise and vibration
crushing, entanglement and cuts associated with moving machinery
manual handling of heavy loads, such as sample bags
heat, exhaustion, stress and fatigue
Safety equipment and hazard control measures
Safety equipment and hazard control measures may include:
ensuring assess to service shut-off points
recognising and observing hazard warnings and safety signs
labelling of samples, reagents and hazardous materials
direct extraction and fume hoods
guards for moving machinery parts
noise insulation
using personal protective equipment, such as masks, gloves, boots, goggles, coats, ear muffs and safety boots
following established manual handling procedures
regular cleaning of equipment and work areas using enterprise procedures
antidotes for specific hazards, such as hydrofluoric acid and cyanide
reporting of abnormal emissions, discharges and airborne contaminants, such as noise, light, solids, liquids, water/waste water, gasses, smoke, vapour, fumes, odour and particulars to appropriate personnel
Critical preparation steps that determine analytical accuracy and precision
Critical preparation steps that determine analytical accuracy and precision may include:
monitoring drying (incipient and total)
mixing to ensure homogeneity before sub-sampling
suitability of reagents for purpose (e.g. dryness)
accurate operation of dispensers and balances
critical/non-critical volumes and critical reagent quantities
temperature control during digests
loss of solution prior to/after mixing
type and acid strength in final solutions
mechanical loss of digest (sputtering, residues on glassware/plastic ware and filtering)
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:
recognise hazards and work safely at all times
interpret and closely follow preparation methods
prepare a range of samples that consistently meet client requirements (that is, representative, free of contamination, specified quantity and particle size and ready for analysis)
recognise problems, atypical preparation stages and implement corrective actions
achieve required sample throughput
recognise limitations and seek timely advice
minimise rework, waste and environmental impact
dispose of all waste, surplus and spent samples responsibly.

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:
MSL924001A Record and present data
MSL943002A Participate in laboratory/field workplace safety.
Resources may include:
a variety of mineral samples
mineral preparation methods
standard operating procedures (SOPs)
mineral preparation equipment, materials and reagents
safety equipment.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
sizing checks and grind performance for samples prepared by candidate
review of preparation and production documentation prepared by the candidate
review of quality control performance and analytical results traceable to samples prepared by the candidate
written/oral questioning about preparation methods, critical steps, typical problems and corrective actions
feedback from peers clients and supervisors.
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 study below to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and to show its relevance in a workplace setting.
Mineral processing
A mining company provides a drill-core sample to a laboratory to determine its gold content as part of the company's resource estimation. A technician receives the sample and registers the details from the client specification sheet. He/she confirms that a 100g (75 micron) analytical portion is required with the coarse split to be retained for possible future testing. Noting from the sheet that the sample is likely to contain high levels of free gold, the technician carefully segregates it from all other samples. After drying and crushing the sample, the technician splits the coarse material and pulverises a sub-sample to the required particle size. He/she places it in a labelled packet and presents it to the assay section. The technician carefully cleans all the equipment used during processing the sample to prevent cross-contamination of samples.