Elements and Performance Criteria

The range of variables places the competency in context and allows for differences between enterprises and workplaces, including practices, knowledge and requirements. The range of variables also provides a focus for assessment and relates to the unit as a whole. The following variables may be present.

Processing activities requiring control:
· enterprise HACCP plan
· the requirements of food safety standards
· product specifications
· energy efficiency of the process
· skills required to process product to the required specification.

Energy requirements:
· product or material flow rate
· heating/cooling rates
· component composition
· heat energy efficiency
· material temperature
· storage conditions required for finished product.

Microbiological factors may include:
The measurement of pathogenic and spoilage micro-organisms present in seafood and the processes for maintaining safe levels during all processing stages.

Chemical and physical aspects:
· temperature and other environmental conditions necessary to ensure food safety
· the enterprise HACCP plan
· determining the presence or absence of chemical contaminants
· methods to exclude physical contamination.

Packaging and storage conditions:
· product specifications
· food standards and other technical standards
· regulations relating to labelling and/or packaging
· importing or exporting country requirements
· enterprise capacity to accommodate finished product
· customer requirements.

Each unit of competency has an evidence guide that relates directly to the performance criteria and the range of variables. Its purpose is to guide assessment of the unit in the workplace and/or training program. The following components provide information to assist this purpose.

Underpinning knowledge
The essential knowledge and understanding a person needs to perform work to the required standards include:
· production and processing knowledge consistent with the scale of the enterprise and the species typically processed by the enterprise
· knowledge of the product quality parameters described by the enterprise food safety plan and any relevant regulations including those for food product, packaging, labelling and storage
· the corrective actions allowable within the requirements of the enterprise food safety plan
· knowledge of production and process planning and organisation consistent with the scale of the enterprise.

Practical skills
The essential skills a person needs to perform work to the required standards include:
· planning, including production planning
· interpreting regulations, standards, specifications
· identifying and monitoring critical control points
· communicating with workteams and managers
· coordinating activities, supplies and processes
· problem solving
· giving attention to detail
· scheduling tests
· collecting, recording and analysing data
· optimising a range of processing equipment
· identifying skill gaps in processing activities.

Oral and written workplace communication skills used for:
· reading and interpreting information including specifications, standards and regulations
· compiling reports
· recording and interpreting data
· completing complex forms
· interpreting technical documents/publications
· communicating technical requirements to staff in an understandable format

Numeracy skills used for:
· calculating production data
· estimating time, volume, flows, pressures etc
· estimating safe working loads
· calculating averages and/or percentages
· calculating temperature and other thermal requirements.

Critical aspects of competence
Assessment must confirm the ability to:
· analyse the operation of a production unit and to develop recommendations to improve the volume and quality of outputs against product specifications, as well as satisfying the needs of the enterprise OHS policies and the requirements of food safety regulations.

Assessment must confirm knowledge of:
· requirements of HACCP and the food safety plan
· enterprise OHS policy and procedures
· process parameters including safe working practices, food safety and environmental requirements
· the energy consumption of current and alternative process methods
· causes of product contamination and/or cross-contamination
· significance of, and methods for, controlling contamination within the process
· production scheduling, batch or recipe instructions, specifications and identifying process control points
· equipment operational parameters
· process control instrumentation
· sampling and test schedules
· cleaning and sanitisation schedules
· routine preventative maintenance requirements
· documentation, recording and reporting requirements
· enterprise product specifications.

Interdependent assessment of units
This unit may be assessed after/with:
· No recommendations.

Context of assessment
Worksites used for assessment must comply with relevant legislation, industry standards and/or practices. Equipment used should be representative of that used in the workplace.

Procedures and documentation used should be those which would be used typically in the workplace. Compliance with statutory Occupational Health and Safety, food safety, export/import inspection, hygiene and/or environmental requirements relevant to the seafood industry should be emphasised.

Method of assessment
Assessment should be structured on whole-of-work activities aimed at achieving the workplace outcomes described in the performance criteria including demonstration of the underpinning knowledge contained in the evidence guide.

Resources required for assessment
· equipment representative of that used in the workplace
· procedures and documentation used typically in the workplace.
· product specifications, control points and processing parameters
· cleaning and sanitation schedules
· process documentation
· enterprise Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's), including corrective actions, and material safety data sheets
· food safety and other relevant technical standards including microbiological data.