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 ISO 1000-1998 The international system of units (SI) and its application
AS ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
AS/NZS ISO 9000 Set:2008 Quality management systems set
calibration and maintenance schedules
enterprise recording and reporting procedures
enterprise sampling procedures for specific samples, sites and clients
environmental legislation and regulations
equipment manuals
equipment startup, operation and shutdown procedures
industry codes of practice
maps and site plans
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
material, production and product specifications
National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) documents regarding construction materials testing
national measurement regulations and guidelines
occupational health and safety (OHS) national standards and codes of practice
quality manuals
safety procedures
standard operating procedures (SOPs)
Site hazards
Site hazards may include:
solar radiation, dust and noise
wildlife, such as snakes, spiders and domestic animals
biohazards, such as micro-organisms and agents associated with soil, air and water
chemicals, such as acids and hydrocarbons
sharps and broken glassware
manual/handling of heavy sample bags and containers
crushing, entanglement and cuts associated with moving machinery and hand tools
falling objects, uneven surfaces, heights, slopes, wet surfaces, trenches and confined spaces
vehicle handling in rough terrain and boat handling in rough or flowing water
Safety procedures
Safety procedures may include:
use of MSDS
use of personal protective equipment, such as hard hats, heavy protection, gloves, safety glasses, goggles, faceguards, coveralls, gowns, body suits, respirators and safety boots
correct labelling of hazardous materials
handling and storing hazardous material and equipment in accordance with labels, MSDS, manufacturer's instructions and enterprise procedures and regulations
regular cleaning and/or decontamination of equipment
machinery guards
signage, barriers, service isolation tags, traffic control and flashing lights
lockout and tag-out procedures
Types of samples
Types of samples may include:
grab samples
disturbed or undisturbed materials
composite samples, such as time, flow proportioned and horizontal/vertical cross section
quality control samples, such as controls, background, duplicate and blanks
Materials sampled
Materials sampled may include:
gas or air samples
water, wastewater, stormwater, sewage and sludge
soils
construction materials
solid wastes, such as commercial, industrial and mining
raw materials, start, middle, end of production run samples and final products for a wide range of manufactured items, including food and beverages
hazardous materials and/or dangerous goods
Sampling tools and equipment
Sampling tools and equipment may include:
front-end loader, backhoe, excavator and drill rig
shovels, augers and bucket
sampling frames, sampling tubes, dip tubes, spears, flexible bladders and syringes
access valves
sample thief
weighted sample bottles, bottles, plastic/metal containers and disposable buckets
sterile containers, pipettes, inoculating loops and disposable spoons
pumps and stainless steel bailers
Maintenance of integrity of samples
Maintenance of integrity of samples could include:
appropriate containers and lids (e.g. glass, plastic, amber and opaque)
sealing of sample containers
purging of sample lines and bores
decontamination of sampling tools between collection of consecutive samples
use of appropriate preservatives (e.g. sodium azide, toluene or antibiotics)
wrapping container in foil or wet newspaper
temperature control, which may involve prevention of direct contact between the sample and coolant
transfer of sterile sample into sterile container
monitoring of storage conditions
enterprise/legal traceability through appropriate sample labelling and records
Services
Services may include:
water supply, gas and electricity
telecommunications
irrigation, stormwater and drainage systems
production plant
Minimising environmental impacts
Minimising environmental impacts may involve:
replacement of soils and vegetation
driving to minimise soil erosion and damage to fauna and vegetation
disposal of surplus, spent or purged materials
recycling of non-hazardous wastes
appropriate disposal of hazardous waste
cleaning of vehicles to prevent transfer of pests and contaminants
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:
correctly follow sampling procedures and plans when collecting samples
collect samples efficiently, safely and with minimal environmental impact
maintain the integrity and security of samples following the traceability requirements
recognise limitations and seek timely advice.

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:
MSL972001AConduct routine site measurements.
Resources may include:
variety of sample types
sampling procedures
a selection of sampling containers, equipment and documentation.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of sampling documentation completed by the candidate
review of the quality of samples collected by the candidate
observation of the candidate collecting a variety of samples at a range of sites
feedback from supervisors and clients that sampling plans were followed
oral/written questioning about sampling and safety 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 show its relevance in a workplace setting.
Construction materials testing
A laboratory assistant takes daily tar samples from the company's retort which is used to heat tar to reduce its moisture content. The purpose of this sampling program and subsequent testing is to ensure that the water content of the hot tar is at a safe level before the tar is transferred to a road tanker and used for road construction. Serious accidents can occur during the transfer or use of tar as high water content can cause an explosion due to escape of steam. One day, the retort operator was running behind schedule and tried to convince the laboratory assistant that the water content of the tar was the same as yesterday and didn't need to be tested. The laboratory assistant was able to explain that a high water content could lead to a serious explosion and burns for the operator.
Environmental
A new field assistant was collecting samples of environmental run-off during wet weather. To successfully complete the activity, the assistant made sure that they included a sample thief, pipette, or similar to extract the sample, a container with a secure lid, and an indelible marker to write on the label. In addition, the assistant remembered to take sealable, waterproof plastic bags in which to put the containers once the samples were collected and a spare bag to protect the field notebook from rain damage.
Manufacturing
A production operator has been given the task of collecting samples of the recent batches of blended products, prior to drumming and customer delivery. In addition, the operator is required to sample the bulk raw materials stored on-site, and the drummed blend ingredients, including some powdered pigments.
The operator knows that the lab needs the blend samples first and after putting on chemical gloves and safety glasses, accesses each sample point on each of the blend tanks. Because the products are under pressure in the tank manifold, it is important to guard against splashes. Some of the products are flammable hydrocarbons, so the operator ensures that static leads are connected from the tank to the sample vessel during pouring. To sample the drummed product, a sample thief is used and again, safety glasses and chemical gloves are important. The pigments present a dust hazard when being sampled, so the operator applies a protective mask over their nose and mouth, to prevent ingestion while they use a small purpose-built shovel to empty the contents into the sample container.