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 1678 Emergency procedure guide - Transport
AS 1940-2004 Storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids
AS 2252 Biological safety cabinets
AS 3780-2008 The storage and handling of corrosive substances
AS/NZS 1269 Set:2005 Occupational noise management set
AS/NZS 1337 Eye protection
AS/NZS 2161 Set:2008 Occupational protective gloves set
AS/NZS 2210:1994 Occupational protective footwear
AS/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set
AS/NZS 2243.1:2005 Safety in laboratories - Planning and operational aspects
AS/NZS 2243.3:2002 Safety in laboratories - Microbiological aspects and containment facilities
AS/NZS 2243.8:2006 Safety in laboratories - Fume cupboards
AS/NZS 2982.1:1997 Laboratory design and construction - General requirements
AS/NZS 4452:1997 The storage and handling of toxic substances
AS/NZS 4501 Set:2008 Occupational clothing set
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
animal welfare legislation and codes of practice
Australian Dangerous Goods Code
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) Import Guidelines
gene technology regulations
Guide to physical containment levels and facility types
HB 9-1994 Occupational personal protection
National Code of Practice for the labelling of workplace substances (NOHSC:2012 (1994))
permits for wildlife capture and handling
principles of good laboratory practice (GLP)
Hazards
Hazards may include:
electric shock
microbiological organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products, and human or animal tissue and fluids
solar radiation, dust and noise
exposure to extreme weather conditions
snake, insect and animal bites
chemicals, such as acids, heavy metals, pesticides and hydrocarbons
aerosols from broken centrifuge tubes and pipetting
radiation, such as alpha, beta, gamma and X-ray
sharps, broken glassware and hand tools
flammable liquids
cryogenics, such as dry ice and liquid nitrogen
fluids under pressure, such as steam, hydrogen in gas liquid chromatography and acetylene in atomic absorption spectrometry
sources of ignition
high temperature ashing processes
disturbance or interruption of services
occupational overuse syndrome, slips, trips and falls
manual handling, working at heights and working in confined spaces
crushing, entanglement and cuts associated with moving machinery or falling objects
vehicle and boat handling
Hazard control measures
Hazard control measures may include:
ensuring access to service shut-off points
recognising and observing hazard warnings and safety signs
use of material safety data sheets (MSDS)
labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials
handling and storing hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labelling, MSDS and manufacturer's instructions
identifying and reporting operating problems or equipment malfunctions
cleaning and decontaminating equipment and work areas regularly using enterprise procedures
using personal protective clothing and equipment, such as hats, hearing protection, gloves, safety glasses, coveralls, gowns, body suits, respirators and safety boots
applying containment procedures through the use of appropriate equipment, such as biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets and Class PCII and PCIII physical containment facilities
following established manual handling procedures for tasks involving manual handling
reporting abnormal emissions, discharges and airborne contaminants, such as noise, light, solids, liquids, water/waste water, gases, smoke, vapour, fumes, odour and particulates to appropriate personnel
Risk assessment
Risk assessment includes:
analysing the risk
identifying factors influencing the risk and the range of potential consequences
effectiveness of existing controls
likelihood of each consequence considering exposure and hazard level
combining these in some way to obtain a level of risk
comparison of the determined risk with pre-established criteria for tolerance (or as low as reasonably achievable) and the subsequent ranking of risks requiring control
Hierarchy of control
Hierarchy of control includes:
the preferred order of risk-control measures from most to least preferred, that is:
eliminating risk
substituting with a lesser hazard
isolating personnel from hazard
engineering controls
applying administrative controls, for example, procedures and training
using personal protective equipment
Typical materials
Typical materials may include:
live flora and fauna, such as plant specimens
animals, such as rats, bacteria, algae, insects and fungi
blood and blood products, human or animal tissue and fluids
teaching aids, such as textbooks and videos
distilled water, reagents, chemicals, disinfectants, detergents, agar media and plates
consumable items, such as syringes, pipette tips and weigh boats
oils/lubricants, fuels, industrial gases, cryogenics, such as dry ice and liquid nitrogen
equipment spares, such as fuses, bulbs and batteries
paper and stationery
reference samples and standards
Typical equipment
Typical equipment may include:
analytical instruments, such as ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) and atomic absorption spectrometers(AAS) , gas chromatography (GC) and high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)
animal cages
autoclaves
balances
blenders, centrifuges and separating equipment
cell counters and staining machines
dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, ovens, microwave ovens, incubators and water baths
fume hoods, biohazard containers and biological safety cabinets
gas cylinders
glassware (burettes, pipettes), plastic ware, glass, plastic and quartz cuvettes
hotplates, mantles, burners and muffle furnaces
light and fluorescence microscopes
microtomes and tissue processors
teaching aids, such as DVD players and computers
thermometers, pH meters and ion selective electrodes
ultrasonic cleaners
Incidents and emergencies
Incidents and emergencies may include:
workplace injury and accidents
biological and chemical spills
leakage of radioactivity
fire
bomb
security threats
Contingencies
Contingencies may include:
new information
urgent requests
modified activities
changed situations
late instructions from appropriate personnel
substitution of reagents
Sources of materials and equipment
Sources of materials and equipment may include:
field trips, including land and sea-based
botanic gardens and parks
abattoirs
commercial suppliers
other institutions
blood bank
shops
Demonstration of techniques and use of equipment
Demonstration of techniques and use of equipment may involve:
teaching staff
other technical staff
students during practical classes
students doing projects or postgraduate studies
Resource management
Resource management may include:
preparation of operational plans
schedules and budgets
handling of petty cash and reconciliation of bank statements
contacting suppliers and completing order requisition forms
use of an enterprise credit card
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:
clarify/design practical activities and assess resource needs
work with teaching staff and students to assess risks, develop and implement controls and monitor their effectiveness
prepare laboratory experiments and demonstrations on time with the correct materials and equipment
work with teaching staff and students to ensure all practical activities are performed safely (through demonstrations and monitoring of practical activities)
manage contingencies and resources within level of responsibility
maintain the laboratory fit for purpose
liaise with suppliers to obtain stocks of materials and equipment using enterprise procedures
work effectively with students and staff who may have diverse work styles, cultures and perspectives.

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:
MSL944001A Maintain laboratory/field workplace safety
relevant MSL974000 series of units of competency
relevant MSL975000 series of units of competency.
Resources may include:
laboratory/field work environment, equipment and materials
personal protective equipment and safety equipment
enterprise OHS management system, policies and procedures.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of operational plans, schedules and budgets prepared by the candidate
review of risk assessments and treatment strategies prepared by the candidate
review of job cards detailing completed tasks
feedback from students, teaching staff, suppliers and supervisor
observation of the candidate assisting teaching staff and students during practical activities
written or oral questions to partly assess the candidate's knowledge of relevant enterprise procedures, technical details of common practical activities and his/her ability to handle a range of contingencies.
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 to show its relevance in a workplace setting.
Education (1)
A biology class returns from a short excursion where pond water samples have been collected. The teacher plans for the students to identify some of the common microscopic organisms present in the samples and conduct a range of tests for pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity and the presence of nitrates. The teaching assistant prepares, checks and calibrates the monitoring equipment and sets out ten microscopes with clean slides, cover slips and transfer pipettes together with waste buckets and bags for collection of biological material. A sharps container is set out for broken slides and cover slips. At the end of the class, the assistant cleans, checks and stows the microscopes and collects the waste material for disposal. The assistant disposes of the waste according to enterprise procedures.
Education (2)
A technical officer has responsibility for the technical support of practical classes in two laboratories. Every semester, he/she prepares a detailed schedule for all classes and field trips in collaboration with the teaching staff. This involves a careful assessment of risks and implementation of controls for each kind of activity to ensure that the institution meets its OHS and environmental management responsibilities. The schedule must also satisfy the science department budget constraints, seasonal variations and the availability of key staff and items of equipment. The officer's daily routine involves the preparation of all equipment, experiments and demonstrations for classes, the checking of equipment before and after its use, general cleaning and maintenance of equipment and work areas and the maintenance of stock levels.