Elements and Performance Criteria

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
Legislation, standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements
Legislation, standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements may include:
federal legislation, such as:
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Australian Heritage Council Act 2003
Native Title Act 1993
state/territory government legislation and regulations and local government by-laws, policies, and plans dealing with:
land use, acquisition, planning and protection
environmental protection
cultural/heritage protection
vegetation management
nature conservation and wildlife/plant protection
water and water management
soil conservation
pollution and contaminated sites
fisheries, forestry and mining operations
Australian and international standards, such as:
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
environmental management plan, site information about applicable legislative requirements and approval requirements
information about site processes and work schedules
information about emergency preparedness and response
monitoring/inspection procedures and management actions to prevent/control environmental impacts or risks
sampling and in-situ measurement procedures (e.g. water, air, noise and soils)
job hazard analyses
safe work procedures and work method statements
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
Environmental issues and problems
Environmental issues and problems may include:
identifying and addressing cultural heritage issues
managing site amenity and access issues
designing/conducting environmental monitoring baseline studies and social risk/impact assessments
managing expectations and addressing community concerns about impacts, community development and local employment opportunities
responding to community or stakeholder complaints
responding to environmental exceedances (e.g. noise, dust and water quality) and adverse audit findings
investigating/responding to environmental non-conformance, non-compliance and incidents
informing interested parties about changes to site/project/program operations
involving interested parties in site/project/program closure planning
developing and coordinating a site rehabilitation program
developing environmental management strategies (e.g. for water use, wastewater, energy, waste and sustainability)
Information
Information may include:
legislation, regulations, guidelines, standards, codes of practice, licence conditions and approval processes
environmental management case studies, research findings and models of good practice
enterprise environmental management plans, policies, strategies and procedures
site/project initial advice statements and risk/impact assessments
records of site consultations with interested parties
site/project environmental reports (e.g. weekly and monthly monitoring)
environmental data sets, such as
satellite imagery and remote sensing data
geophysical, geochemical, geological, hydrological and meteorological data
ecological data, such as distribution of vegetation, fauna and pests
social science data, such as demographic and census information
land use data, zoning and property classifications
historical records and photographs
community surveys
maps (road and topographical) and aerial photos
site utilities/services (e.g. water, sewer, electricity and gas)
government reports
articles (e.g. online, academic, newspaper and journal)
Sources of information
Sources of information may include:
government departments and agencies (e.g. environment, climate change, agriculture and mining)
regulatory authorities
universities, cooperative research centres
utility authorities/companies (e.g. water, gas and electricity)
land title office and Valuer General
local government records
Geoscience Australia
Australian Social Science Data Archive
companies providing environmental services
internet, library/archive collections, annual reports and community newsletters
External expert opinion
External expert opinion may include:
government regulators
environmental consultants
contractors
solicitors
environmental scientists, engineers and planners
professional groups and organisations
community leaders tribal elders
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

Overview of assessment
Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Assessors must be satisfied that the candidate can competently and consistently apply the skills covered in this unit of competency in new and different situations and contexts. Critical aspects of assessment and evidence include:
describing actions taken to develop and maintain their specialist environmental knowledge
following enterprise procedures for providing environmental advice to clients
obtaining and analysing sufficient information to formulate environmental advice that is accurate, up-to-date and meets the client’s needs
providing authorised information using language, style and format that is readily understood
communicating advice within the expected timeframe and confirming the client’s understanding
obtaining and using feedback to improve the provision of environmental advice to clients.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment.
Assessment should emphasise a workplace context and procedures found in the candidate’s workplace.
This unit of competency may be assessed with:
MSS027001A Coordinate environmental management activities
other MSS027000 series units dealing with specific environmental management activities.
The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team.
Resources may include:
site/project/program history
relevant legislation, codes, standards, enterprise environmental management policies, plans, procedures and checklists
access to a computer, internet, data sets, enterprise reports, published case studies and research.
Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of environmental advice and the supporting documentation prepared by the candidate for a range of clients
feedback from manager and clients that the candidate consistently provides timely advice that meets their needs
oral/written tests involving environmental management terms and principles, legislative/regulatory requirements, enterprise environmental management plans, policies and procedures
analysis of case studies requiring advice about issues/problems within scope of responsibility
observation of the candidate presenting advice to clients.
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.
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.
Guidance information for assessment