Elements and Performance Criteria

The Range of Variables explains the contexts within which the performance and knowledge requirements of this standard may be assessed. The scope of variables chosen in particular training and assessment requirements may depend on the work situations available.

What post-harvest operations may apply to this standard?
Post-harvest operations may include transporting harvested produce from the field to post-harvest processing or storage facilities, grading, applying treatments, and packing, labelling and storing harvested produce.

How may the marketing plan affect the implementation of a post-harvest program?
The marketing plan will address client specifications that may include quality of plant produce (and various grades) such as variety, shape, size, weight, length, colour, maturity, moisture content, ripeness, texture, skin condition, blemishes, bud count and health which are subject to seasonal and market forces. Client preferences may also specify packaging materials, containers, filling techniques, labelling and storage requirements from field to client such as the cool chain concept.

What enterprise work procedures may apply to this standard?
Work procedures will be based on sound horticultural principles and practices and may include supervisors oral or written instructions, post-harvest program or production schedule, marketing plan, enterprise standard operating procedures (SOPs), specifications, routine maintenance schedules, work notes; industry best practice guidelines on quality, food safety and hygiene; product labels and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), manufacturers service specifications and operators manuals, waste disposal, recycling and re-use guidelines, and OHS procedures.

What materials, tools, equipment and machinery may be used to implement a post-harvest program?
Materials may include preservatives, chemicals, gases, cleaning agents, packaging materials and containers, labels, adhesives and proformas.
Tools, equipment and machinery may include tractors, trailers, light trucks, forklifts, snips, knives, gloves, containers, grading machinery, washers, brushes, dryers, chemical applicators, gassing chambers, labelling devices, packing tools, scales, pallets, hand trolleys and lifting aids, coolrooms and dedicated storage facilities.

What OHS hazards may be associated with implementing a post-harvest program?
Hazards may include a wet working environment including electricity, solar radiation, dust, pollen, soil-borne micro-organisms, noise, chemicals and hazardous substances, confined spaces, sharp hand tools and equipment, manual handling, slippery or uneven surfaces, and moving equipment, machinery and vehicles.

What safety equipment may be required?
Safety equipment may include signage and barriers, and operational safety exits from coolrooms and gassing chambers.

What PPE may be required when implementing a post-harvest program?
PPE may include hat, boots, overalls, gloves, apron, waterproof clothing, spray clothing, goggles, respirator or face mask, face guard, self-contained breathing apparatus, hearing protection, sunscreen lotion and hard hat.

What OHS requirements may be relevant to this standard?
OHS requirements may include identifying hazards, assessing and reporting risks, cleaning, maintaining and storing tools, equipment and machinery; appropriate use of PPE, safe operation of tools, equipment and machinery, ensuring operational safety exits from coolrooms and gassing chambers, confined spaces policy and procedures, safe handling, use and storage of chemicals and hazardous substances, correct manual handling, basic first aid, personal hygiene and reporting problems to supervisors.

What environmental implications may be associated with the implementation of a post-harvest program?
Detrimental environmental impacts may arise where post-harvest activities produce excess noise, dust or water run-off, disposal of unwanted or waste plant material that produces odour and attracts pests, and risks infecting healthy crops, or on- and off-site ground water or soils that are contaminated from solids, debris, nutrients, chemicals and water run-off.

How may a clean, safe and hygienic work area be maintained?
Tasks may include disabling unused tools, equipment and machinery and storing neatly out of the way of post-harvest activities, safely storing materials including chemicals on-site, using signage and safety barriers during and removing after post-harvest activities are completed, cleaning, fumigating or sterilising post-harvest equipment and storage facilities, and swiftly and efficiently removing and processing debris and waste from the work area.

How will enterprise environmental procedures affect the implementation of a post-harvest program?
Enterprise environmental procedures may include procedures for the disposal of out-of-standard produce, waste material such as chemicals and hazardous substances used in post-harvest treatments, their containers, plant debris, litter, processing and cleaning water run-off, and broken components and packaging.
Waste may be removed to designated areas for recycling, reuse, return to the manufacturer or disposal.

What post-harvest treatments may apply to this standard?
Post-harvest treatments may include removal of dirt and foreign material, stripping excess leaves and/or trimming, brushing, washing/hydration, drying, applying preservatives, applying fungicides and insecticides by spraying or dipping, waxing and polishing, ripening or de-greening with ethylene gas, observing quarantine requirements and storing in a controlled environment.

What post-harvest practices may be employed to minimise damage to produce?
Field handling practices may include observing the fill level of containers, lifting rather than dragging containers to avoid contact with dirt, correctly stacking containers on transport to reduce the risk of bruising, squashing or damaging the produce, and smoothly transporting the harvested produce to the post-harvest processing or storage facility.
Harvested crops may need to be stored in the shade, in water-filled or covered containers in the field. In the shed storage may occur in a temperature-controlled environment such as a coolroom. These may include forced air coolrooms for table grapes, hydro coolrooms for stone fruit and vacuum coolrooms for mushrooms.
Produce damage may be minimised by wearing gloves, maintaining sharp tools, placing rather than dropping produce into containers, cutting fingernails, observing fill heights, arrangement of produce and packing instructions for containers, and correctly stacking containers on transport.

What packing and presentation requirements will need to be determined?
Packing and presentation requirements for specific produce and clients may include specifications for packaging materials and containers, filling techniques and arrangement of produce within the container, and for labelling.

What storage requirements will need to be determined?
Storage requirements for specific produce and clients may include specifications for storage facilities, environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity and light, length of storage, position in the storage facility and cleaning processes to ensure a level of hygiene that protects the quality and health status of the stored produce.

What post-harvest operations may apply to this standard?
Post-harvest operations may include transporting harvested produce from the field to post-harvest processing or storage facilities, grading, applying treatments, and packing, labelling and storing harvested produce.

How may the marketing plan affect the implementation of a post-harvest program?
The marketing plan will address client specifications that may include quality of plant produce (and various grades) such as variety, shape, size, weight, length, colour, maturity, moisture content, ripeness, texture, skin condition, blemishes, bud count and health which are subject to seasonal and market forces. Client preferences may also specify packaging materials, containers, filling techniques, labelling and storage requirements from field to client such as the cool chain concept.

What enterprise work procedures may apply to this standard?
Work procedures will be based on sound horticultural principles and practices and may include supervisors oral or written instructions, post-harvest program or production schedule, marketing plan, enterprise standard operating procedures (SOPs), specifications, routine maintenance schedules, work notes; industry best practice guidelines on quality, food safety and hygiene; product labels and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), manufacturers service specifications and operators manuals, waste disposal, recycling and re-use guidelines, and OHS procedures.

What materials, tools, equipment and machinery may be used to implement a post-harvest program?
Materials may include preservatives, chemicals, gases, cleaning agents, packaging materials and containers, labels, adhesives and proformas.
Tools, equipment and machinery may include tractors, trailers, light trucks, forklifts, snips, knives, gloves, containers, grading machinery, washers, brushes, dryers, chemical applicators, gassing chambers, labelling devices, packing tools, scales, pallets, hand trolleys and lifting aids, coolrooms and dedicated storage facilities.

What OHS hazards may be associated with implementing a post-harvest program?
Hazards may include a wet working environment including electricity, solar radiation, dust, pollen, soil-borne micro-organisms, noise, chemicals and hazardous substances, confined spaces, sharp hand tools and equipment, manual handling, slippery or uneven surfaces, and moving equipment, machinery and vehicles.

What safety equipment may be required?
Safety equipment may include signage and barriers, and operational safety exits from coolrooms and gassing chambers.

What PPE may be required when implementing a post-harvest program?
PPE may include hat, boots, overalls, gloves, apron, waterproof clothing, spray clothing, goggles, respirator or face mask, face guard, self-contained breathing apparatus, hearing protection, sunscreen lotion and hard hat.

What OHS requirements may be relevant to this standard?
OHS requirements may include identifying hazards, assessing and reporting risks, cleaning, maintaining and storing tools, equipment and machinery; appropriate use of PPE, safe operation of tools, equipment and machinery, ensuring operational safety exits from coolrooms and gassing chambers, confined spaces policy and procedures, safe handling, use and storage of chemicals and hazardous substances, correct manual handling, basic first aid, personal hygiene and reporting problems to supervisors.

What environmental implications may be associated with the implementation of a post-harvest program?
Detrimental environmental impacts may arise where post-harvest activities produce excess noise, dust or water run-off, disposal of unwanted or waste plant material that produces odour and attracts pests, and risks infecting healthy crops, or on- and off-site ground water or soils that are contaminated from solids, debris, nutrients, chemicals and water run-off.

How may a clean, safe and hygienic work area be maintained?
Tasks may include disabling unused tools, equipment and machinery and storing neatly out of the way of post-harvest activities, safely storing materials including chemicals on-site, using signage and safety barriers during and removing after post-harvest activities are completed, cleaning, fumigating or sterilising post-harvest equipment and storage facilities, and swiftly and efficiently removing and processing debris and waste from the work area.

How will enterprise environmental procedures affect the implementation of a post-harvest program?
Enterprise environmental procedures may include procedures for the disposal of out-of-standard produce, waste material such as chemicals and hazardous substances used in post-harvest treatments, their containers, plant debris, litter, processing and cleaning water run-off, and broken components and packaging.
Waste may be removed to designated areas for recycling, reuse, return to the manufacturer or disposal.

What post-harvest treatments may apply to this standard?
Post-harvest treatments may include removal of dirt and foreign material, stripping excess leaves and/or trimming, brushing, washing/hydration, drying, applying preservatives, applying fungicides and insecticides by spraying or dipping, waxing and polishing, ripening or de-greening with ethylene gas, observing quarantine requirements and storing in a controlled environment.

What post-harvest practices may be employed to minimise damage to produce?
Field handling practices may include observing the fill level of containers, lifting rather than dragging containers to avoid contact with dirt, correctly stacking containers on transport to reduce the risk of bruising, squashing or damaging the produce, and smoothly transporting the harvested produce to the post-harvest processing or storage facility.
Harvested crops may need to be stored in the shade, in water-filled or covered containers in the field. In the shed storage may occur in a temperature-controlled environment such as a coolroom. These may include forced air coolrooms for table grapes, hydro coolrooms for stone fruit and vacuum coolrooms for mushrooms.
Produce damage may be minimised by wearing gloves, maintaining sharp tools, placing rather than dropping produce into containers, cutting fingernails, observing fill heights, arrangement of produce and packing instructions for containers, and correctly stacking containers on transport.

What packing and presentation requirements will need to be determined?
Packing and presentation requirements for specific produce and clients may include specifications for packaging materials and containers, filling techniques and arrangement of produce within the container, and for labelling.

What storage requirements will need to be determined?
Storage requirements for specific produce and clients may include specifications for storage facilities, environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity and light, length of storage, position in the storage facility and cleaning processes to ensure a level of hygiene that protects the quality and health status of the stored produce.

What evidence is required to demonstrate competence for this standard as a whole?
Competence in implementing a post-harvest program requires evidence that a person can co-ordinate post-harvest operations, implement post-harvest treatments, hazardous waste disposal guidelines, and packing, presentation and storage requirements according to industry best practice and market specifications.
The skills and knowledge required to implement a post-harvest program must be transferable to a different work environment. For example, this could include different crops, harvesting methods and enterprises.
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 competency standard are listed below:

the attributes of produce in relation to the desired quality of produce to be presented to the client
Integrated Pest Management principles and enterprise policy
the importance of maintaining the quality of produce including handling and cooling requirements
the relationship between the quality attributes of produce and packing techniques and packaging
industry standards for packaging
cool chain principles and practices
characteristics and procedures for the use of coolrooms
storage methods for a range of produce
the correct storage temperatures for a range of produce
humidity levels and their effect on the quality of produce
hygiene issues in the handling and storage of plant produce
environmental effects of post-harvest treatments and hazardous waste disposal methodologies, application and purpose
enterprise confined spaces policy and safety procedures.

What specific skills are needed to achieve the performance criteria?

To achieve the performance criteria, appropriate literacy and numeracy levels as well as some complementary skills are required. These include the ability to:

communicate orally and in writing with team members and supervisors
interpret and confirm chemical labels, MSDS, work instructions and enterprise work procedures
record information about work activities on proformas
participate in teams and contribute to team objectives
count and calculate quantities, treatment application rates and storage requirements
correctly dispose of chemical substances, their containers and other waste materials to minimise environmental impact
implement enterprise OHS policy and procedures.

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

Essential Assessment Information
There is essential information about

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 competency standard are listed below:

the attributes of produce in relation to the desired quality of produce to be presented to the client
Integrated Pest Management principles and enterprise policy
the importance of maintaining the quality of produce including handling and cooling requirements
the relationship between the quality attributes of produce and packing techniques and packaging
industry standards for packaging
cool chain principles and practices
characteristics and procedures for the use of coolrooms
storage methods for a range of produce
the correct storage temperatures for a range of produce
humidity levels and their effect on the quality of produce
hygiene issues in the handling and storage of plant produce
environmental effects of post-harvest treatments and hazardous waste disposal methodologies, application and purpose
enterprise confined spaces policy and safety procedures.

What specific skills are needed to achieve the performance criteria?

To achieve the performance criteria, appropriate literacy and numeracy levels as well as some complementary skills are required. These include the ability to:

communicate orally and in writing with team members and supervisors
interpret and confirm chemical labels, MSDS, work instructions and enterprise work procedures
record information about work activities on proformas
participate in teams and contribute to team objectives
count and calculate quantities, treatment application rates and storage requirements
correctly dispose of chemical substances, their containers and other waste materials to minimise environmental impact
implement enterprise OHS policy and procedures.

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

Essential Assessment Information
There is essential information about

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
Written, oral and telecommunication of ideas and information relating to post-harvest activities and problems encountered may be required with the work group and supervisor. (2)

Communicating ideas and information
Written, oral and telecommunication of ideas and information relating to post-harvest activities and problems encountered may be required with the work group and supervisor. (2)

Collecting analysing and organising information
Enterprise work procedures and client specifications in the marketing plan should be consulted, interpreted and applied to co-ordinate the post-harvest program with further clarification sought from the supervisor when necessary. (2)

Collecting analysing and organising information
Enterprise work procedures and client specifications in the marketing plan should be consulted, interpreted and applied to co-ordinate the post-harvest program with further clarification sought from the supervisor when necessary. (2)

Planning and organising activities
Work activities for the work group and self will be planned prior to and adjusted during the post-harvest program. (2)

Planning and organising activities
Work activities for the work group and self will be planned prior to and adjusted during the post-harvest program. (2)

Working with others and in teams
The post-harvest program will involve facilitating and leading members of a team to complete the program on time and budget. (2)

Working with others and in teams
The post-harvest program will involve facilitating and leading members of a team to complete the program on time and budget. (2)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
Mathematical application will be required to calculate and apply the spatial and logistical requirements of the post-harvest program. (2)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
Mathematical application will be required to calculate and apply the spatial and logistical requirements of the post-harvest program. (2)

Solving problems
Produce quality issues, the selection and sourcing of treatments and products, co-ordination with the work group and work activities may require negotiation and the ability to devise alternative courses of action. (2)

Solving problems
Produce quality issues, the selection and sourcing of treatments and products, co-ordination with the work group and work activities may require negotiation and the ability to devise alternative courses of action. (2)

Using technology
Technological understanding will be required to access and apply program specifications, undertake post-harvest activities, communicate, report and keep records. (2)

Using technology
Technological understanding will be required to access and apply program specifications, undertake post-harvest activities, communicate, report and keep records. (2)