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.

WHS requirements include:
applicable and relevant national safety standards
construction industry WHS standards and guidelines
federal, state and territory WHS legislation, regulations, standards and codes of practice
industry standards, guidance notes, guidelines, Australian standards and other documents applicable to own workplace, work, role and responsibilities
National Code of Practice for Induction Training for Construction Work
requirements for licences, tickets and certificates of competency
responsibilities, duties and rights of duty holders and workplace parties (including health and safety representatives, committees and supervisors) under environmental and WHS Acts and regulations.
Safe work practices may relate to:
access to site amenities, including:
drinking water
toilets
appropriate warning labels on cabinets and enclosures
avoiding contact with hazardous chemicals, including not inhaling or swallowing such materials
avoiding drugs and alcohol at work
being aware of how to respond to potential accidents
ensuring manufacturer’s warnings and instruction labels in relation to the laser product are not damaged or obscured during installation
general requirements for:
safe use of plant and equipment
use of personal protective equipment and clothing
housekeeping to ensure a clean, tidy and safe work area
no hazardous chemicals, including fibre particles and solvents, left on site at the completion of the work
preventing bullying and harassment
relevant Australian standards relating to WHS
specific organisational safety requirements
smoking in designated areas only
storing and removing debris
using a wet cleaning process and making sure all solvent residues are disposed of according to environmental policy
warning labels used in conjunction with laser and optical fibre systems.
Duty of care requirements relate to:
legal responsibilities, duties and rights of duty holders and workplace parties as specified in WHS Acts, regulations and codes of practice
own duties to comply with safe work practices:
activities that require licences
tickets
certificates of competency
specific and general duties and responsibilities of particular individuals, workplace parties and others (as prescribed in applicable federal, state and territory WHS legislation and regulations), including:
construction and other supervisors
construction and other workers
designers
employers and self-employed persons
PCBUs and officers
WHS inspectors
manufacturers, importers, suppliers, installers and commissioners
persons in control of the work site
subcontractors.
Common construction hazards may include:
confined spaces
electricity
excavations, including trenches
falling objects
hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods
hot and cold working environments
manual handling
noise
operation of plant and equipment
traffic and mobile plant
unplanned collapse
ultraviolet (UV) radiation
working at heights.
Designated personnel may include:
managers
PCBUs and officers
WHS personnel
worker health and safety representatives
other persons authorised or nominated by the organisation or industry to:
approve specified work
direct specified work
inspect specified work
perform specified work
supervisors
team leaders.
Workplace procedures may include:
risk assessment
worker consultation and participation
hazard control
emergency responses to:
accidents
fires
other emergency incidents and events
identifying hazards
reporting WHS issues
resolving WHS issues
using personal protective equipment.
Measures for controlling hazards and risk may include:
administrative controls
elimination
engineering controls
isolation
personal protective equipment
substitution.
Hazards may include:
activating equipment without notifying other staff who may be working remotely on the network
hazardous chemicals, including:
cleaning alcohol and other solvents
epoxy resins and chemicals that cause cancer, allergies or that can damage health in any way
environmental hazards:
air pollution
damage to natural or heritage precincts
dangerous gases, heavy or noxious metals pollution, release of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC)
ground water contamination
noise
petrochemical spillage
flammable cleaning chemicals fluids and solvents
fibre offcut damage to eyes and skin
health hazards, including:
hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods
handling of optic fibres and lasers
infective agents, including viruses and bacteria
risk of sustained injury from repetitive tasks
inhalation of fibre offcuts and particles from vacuum cleaning of work site
laser damage to eyes
safety hazards:
manual handling (lifting, biomechanical)
tasks such as welding
working at heights
radio frequency (RF) radiation.
Principles of risk management include:
identifying hazards
assessing the risks involved
worker participating in, and consulting on, all risk management activities
consulting and reporting to ensure involvement of relevant workers
controlling risks
monitoring the effectiveness of controls.
Job safety analysis sheet or safe work method statement may include:
sheets to record the steps in the risk management process:
identification
assessment
control
monitoring
primary application of assessment
as specified in workplace procedures, policies and processes.
Hazard identification includes:
checking equipment and work area:
before work commences
during work
housekeeping
reviewing accident or incident records
workplace inspections
as specified in workplace procedures, policies and processes
Risk assessment includes:
a scale:
low
medium
high
awareness of likelihood and consequence factors
JSA
as specified in workplace procedures, policies and processes.
Personal protective equipment may include:
breathing apparatus:
dust masks
respirators
clothing:
boots and other safety footwear
gloves
high visibility retro reflective vests
overalls
protective jackets or pants for preparing, cutting or jointing optical fibres
aprons
arm guards
eye protection:
protective eyewear designed specifically for laser
goggles
face and head protection:
face masks
helmets and hard hats
hearing protection
protective, well-fitting clothing
UV protective clothing and sunscreen
radiation detectors.
Assessing and testing for harmful gases include:
using gas detection equipment
reporting and responding to a positive test for gases in line with organisational guidelines
following workplace procedures and complying with legislative and regulatory requirements.
Australian standards may include:
Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF) standards and codes
Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) standards TS 14
AS/NZS 3000:2007
AS/NZS 3080:2003
AS/NZS 3084:2003
AS/NZS 3085.1:2004
AS/NZS IEC 61935.1:2006
AS/NZS IEC 61935.2:2006
AS/NZS ISO/IEC 14763.3:2007
AS/NZS ISO/IEC 15018:2005
AS/NZS ISO/IEC 24702:2007
cabling security codes and regulations
Communications Cabling Manual (CCM) Volume1
Environmental Protection Acts
International Standards ISO 9000 and 9001
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) recommendations
WHS Acts and relevant codes and standards
road and traffic control legislation and codes
technical standards AS/ACIF S008:2006 and AS/ACIF S009:2006
Telecommunications Act and relevant codes.
WHS communication processes may include:
discussions with worker health and safety representatives
processes for raising WHS issues
toolbox talks
WHS meetings
WHS notices, newsletters, bulletins and correspondence
WHS participative arrangements
workplace consultation relating to WHS issues and changes.
WHS information and documentation may include:
accident and incident reports
Australian standards
construction documentation and plans
emergency information contact
evacuation plans
guidance notes
job safety analyses
labels
proformas for reporting hazards, incidents and injuries
reports of near misses and dangerous occurrences
risk assessments
safe work method statements
safety data sheets (SDS)
safety meeting minutes
site safety inspection reports
WHS Acts, regulations and other codes of practice.
Designated WHS personnel may include:
first aid officers
WHS committee members
WHS representatives
supervisors.
Safety signs and symbols may include:
emergency information signs:
equipment
exits
first aid
fire signs and location of fire alarms and fire fighting equipment
hazard, danger and warning signs
regulatory signs:
mandatory
limitation or restriction
prohibition
safety tags and lockout:
danger tags
out of service tags.
Relevant authorities may include:
emergency services:
ambulance
emergency rescue
fire brigade
police
supervisor
WHS regulatory authority.
Incidents may include:
accidents resulting in personal injury or damage to property
near misses or dangerous occurrences which do not cause injury but may pose an immediate and significant risk to persons or property, and need to be reported so that action can be taken to prevent recurrence, for example:
breathing apparatus malfunctioning to the extent that the user’s health is in danger
collapse of the floor, wall or ceiling of a building being used as a workplace
collapse or failure of an excavation more than 1.5 metres deep, including any shoring
collapse or partial collapse of a building or structure
collapse, overturning or failure of the load bearing of any scaffolding, lift, crane, hoist or mine-winding equipment
damage to or malfunction of any other major plant
electric shock
electrical short circuit, malfunction or explosion
fire or escape of gas, hazardous substance or steam
any other unintended or uncontrolled incident or event arising from operations carried on at a workplace.
General procedures for responding to incidents and emergencies may include:
basic emergency response:
keep calm
raise alarm
obtain help
evacuation
notification of designated WHS personnel and authorities
referring to site emergency plans and documentation
when and how to notify emergency services.
Emergencies may include:
chemical spill
fire
injury to personnel
structural collapse
toxic and flammable vapours emission
vehicle and mobile plant accident.
Fire safety equipment may include:
breathing apparatus
fire blankets
fire fighting equipment.
Environmental requirements must include:
clean-up management
dust management
noise management
waste management.
Participative arrangements may include:
arrangements for documenting, communicating and following up requests and suggestions relating to WHS issues
arrangements or processes for raising and communicating WHS concerns
electing worker health and safety representatives
informal WHS meetings
planning committees
purchasing committees
WHS committees
WHS reports and other processes for advising workers on WHS issues and matters.
Traffic safety applies to safety of:
pedestrians passing an area where work is being conducted
vehicles passing an area where work is being conducted
workers working adjacent to traffic.
Confined spaces applies to:
spaces clearly labelled as confined spaces
spaces that meet the general specifications for a confined space.
Asbestos hazards may be found in:
corrugated asbestos roofing
eaves of houses
meter boxes
pit and pipe infrastructure
wall cladding.
Respond to asbestos hazards may include:
notifying designated personnel and authorities
closing the worksite to further activity
barricading the work area
avoiding any disturbance of the work area
exercising a duty of care to self, fellow workers and the public.

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
Evidence of the ability to:

recognise and report hazards to designated personnel
follow workplace procedures necessary to control risks in the workplace
identify and apply safe handling procedures for optical fibres and laser sources
identify and respond appropriately to asbestos, traffic and confined spaces hazards in the workplace.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure access to:

relevant WHS Acts, regulations and codes of practice
WHS implementation resources, such as sample forms, signs and procedures
personal protective equipment
first aid equipment
fire safety equipment
organisational WHS policies and procedures
relevant work areas for identification of hazards and control measures.
optic fibre cabling and equipment.
Method of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

direct observation of the candidate applying safety aspects to the handling of optical fibres and lasers
direct observation of the candidate following or participating in common WHS workplace procedures
oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of WHS concepts and applications
evaluation of written reports on hazards and safety recommendations.
Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended.

Aboriginal people and other people from a non-English speaking background may have second language issues.

Access must be provided to appropriate learning and assessment support when required.

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and appropriate to the oral communication skill level, and language and literacy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.

In all cases where practical assessment is used it will be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge. Questioning techniques should not require language, literacy and numeracy skills beyond those required in this unit of competency.

Where applicable, physical resources should include equipment modified for people with special needs.