Elements and Performance Criteria

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.

OHS requirements:
are to be in accordance with applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation and regulations, and organisational safety policies and procedures, and may include:
personal protective equipment and clothing
safety equipment
first aid equipment
fire fighting equipment
hazard and risk control
elimination of hazardous materials and substances
safe forest practices including required actions relating to forest fire
manual handling including shifting, lifting and carrying

Legislative requirements:
are to be in accordance with applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation, regulations, certification requirements and codes of practice and may include:
award and enterprise agreements
industrial relations
Australian Standards
confidentiality and privacy
OHS
the environment
equal opportunity
anti-discrimination
relevant industry codes of practice
duty of care
heritage and traditional land owner issues

Organisational requirements may include:
legal
organisational and site guidelines
policies and procedures relating to own role and responsibility
quality assurance
procedural manuals
quality and continuous improvement processes and standards
OHS, emergency and evacuation procedures
ethical standards
recording and reporting requirements
equipment use and maintenance and storage requirements
environmental management requirements (waste disposal, recycling and re-use guidelines)

Skidder is to include:
a self-propelled wheeled and articulated purpose designed machine used to haul logs over rough terrain. The skidder moves logs from the forest to the landing

Environmental protection measures
may include action to limit the impact to:
ground growth and canopy
soil and water
may include action to limit the impact of:
general forest lean
wind speed and direction
fallen trees
density of trees
ground slope
ground hazards
obstacles

Work order
is to include:
instructions for the operation of a skidder and its respective tasks

Appropriate personnel may include:
supervisors
suppliers
clients
colleagues
managers

Equipment
is to include:
grapple or cable skidders
relevant maintenance equipment

Environmental and heritage concerns may include:
dust
noise
water
flora and fauna
heritage legislation
culturally sensitive sights and artefacts
plantations
native forest

Communication may include:
verbal and non-verbal language
hand or other agreed signals
eye contact with other operators or personnel
active listening
questioning to clarify and confirm understanding
use of electronic communication devices

Pre start-up checks

are conducted to:
ensure the equipment has been set-up correctly
attachments are fitted accurately
plant operating to optimum performance

Hazards may include:
uneven/unstable terrain
trees
fires
overhead and underground services,
bridges
buildings
excavations
traffic
embankments
cuttings
structures and hazardous materials

Emergency plan may include:
notification of authorities
evacuation procedures
isolation procedures
equipment shut-down procedures
clean up
first aid
use of personal protective equipment
guarding

Log Control
is to include:
balance and control of logs while carrying or towing as prescribed by the manufacturer and not exceeding the allowable capacity of the skidder

Lifting or towing gear may include:
grapples
cables

Stability
is to ensure:
the skidder is positioned and operates so as not to topple over during operations

Attachments may include:
blades
chains
log arches
rakes
winches
grapples
cables

Tasks may include:
extraction of logs to the landing
ancillary forestry activities

Records and reports may include:
end of shift documentation
work log and;
may be manual or using a computer-based system or another appropriate organisational communication system

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
A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence that they can conduct skidder operations

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all of the requirements of the elements of this unit and include demonstration of:

compliance with applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislative and regulatory requirements and codes of practice relevant to conducting skidder operations
compliance with organisational policies and procedures relevant to conducting skidder operations
compliance with applicable licensing or certification requirements
communicating effectively and working safely with others in the work area
efficiently conducting skidder operations in accordance with site requirements
effectively changing and fitting attachments in accordance with manufacturer specifications

Context of and specific resources for assessment
Competency is to be assessed in the workplace or realistically simulated workplace
Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints
Assessment of essential underpinning knowledge, other than confirmatory questions, will usually be conducted in an off-site context
Assessment is to comply with relevant regulatory or Australian Standards requirements

The following resources should be made available:

workplace location or simulated workplace
materials and equipment relevant to undertaking work applicable to this unit
specifications and work instructions

Method of assessment
Assessment must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the FPI05 Training Package
Assessment methods must confirm consistency and accuracy of performance (over time and in a range of workplace relevant contexts) together with application of underpinning knowledge
Assessment must be by direct observation of tasks, with questioning on underpinning knowledge and it must also reinforce the integration of employability skills
Assessment methods must confirm the ability to access and correctly interpret and apply the essential underpinning knowledge
Assessment may be applied under project-related conditions (real or simulated) and require evidence of process
Assessment must confirm a reasonable inference that competency is able not only to be satisfied under the particular circumstance, but is able to be transferred to other circumstances
Assessment may be in conjunction with assessment of other units of competency
The assessment environment should not disadvantage the candidate
Assessment practices should take into account any relevant language or cultural issues related to Aboriginality, gender or language backgrounds other than English
Where the participant has a disability, reasonable adjustment may be applied during assessment
Language and literacy demands of the assessment task should not be higher than those of the work role