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/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set
AS/NZS 4452:1997 The storage and handling of toxic substances
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) Export Control (Orders) Regulations 1982
Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) Import Guidelines
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) Codes of Practice
cleaning, hygiene and personal hygiene requirements
enterprise procedures, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and operating manuals
gene technology regulations
incident and accident/injury reports
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
National Code of Practice for the labelling of workplace substances (NOHSC:2012 (1994))
national environment protection measures
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Guidelines
national measurement regulations and guidelines
occupational health and safety (OHS) national standards and codes of practice
sampling procedures (labelling, preparation, storage, transport and disposal)
schematics, work flows and laboratory layouts
test procedures (validated and authorised)
Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1009
waste minimisation and disposal procedures
Reference materials
Reference materials may include:
specimens, such as cells, tissues and samples of aqueous or proteinaceous standards
aggregates, grains and powders
materials used for checking equipment calibrations
Dispensing and storing of reference materials
Dispensing and storing of reference materials may require:
reconstitution of completely lyophilised materials
preparing materials for freeze-drying
Equipment, materials and systems
Equipment, materials and systems may include:
centrifuges, water baths and incubators
lyophilisers and humidifiers
equipment and material for transport, such as dry ice or ice packs
equipment and material for storage, such as liquid nitrogen
storage boxes
storage and display cabinets
computer information systems, databases, record and filing systems
laboratory glassware and measuring equipment
materials suitable for the safe collection and disposal of biological and non-biological wastes
Communication
Communication may involve:
supervisors and managers (laboratory, quality and customer service)
other laboratory or clinical personnel
outside suppliers, internal and external customers
Hazards
Hazards may include:
chemicals, reagents
micro-organisms associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products and human or animal tissue and fluids
sharps, such as broken glassware
disturbance or interruption of services
manual handling of heavy boxes
Safety procedures
Safety procedures may include:
use of personal protective equipment, such as hearing protection, gloves, safety glasses and coveralls
ensuring access to service shut-off points
handling and storing hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labels, MSDS, manufacturer's instructions and enterprise procedures and regulations
regular cleaning of equipment and work areas
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:
maintain material identity during storage
perform all manipulations safely
test stored material for reference characteristics before release
communicate appropriately with all customers.

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 any units that may involve using materials from a collection for example:
MSL916003A Supervise laboratory operations in work/functional area
MSL975001A Perform microbiological tests
MSL976003A Evaluate and select appropriate test methods and procedures.
Resources may include:
equipment and materials related to the occupational task for which the reference material is relevant
reference materials
standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of records for the supply of reference materials by the candidate
observation of the candidate performing tests of stored reference material prior to release and review of results
case studies, such as the:
accession and processing of a plasma sample that is intended for use as a control in a blood coagulation test
response to request for supply of a Staphylococcus culture with coagulase activity
oral/written questioning about receipt, testing during storage and release of reference materials.
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. Questioning techniques should suit the language and literacy
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 their relevance in a workplace setting.
Manufacturing
A technical officer in a pharmaceutical laboratory assays each batch of paracetamol tablets before their release for sale using ultraviolet spectrometric analysis. Twenty tablets are ground and a known weight of sample is dissolved in a specified solvent. The ultraviolet absorption is measured and compared with the absorption of a reference standard, which has been similarly treated. The potency of the tablets is calculated and compared to the release limits before being released for sale. The concentration of the reference paracetamol must be accurately known if the assay is to be correct. The standard is packed and stored under conditions that will minimise its breakdown, and the storage conditions are monitored to ensure that the potency remains with acceptable limits.
Biomedical
A technical officer in a histology laboratory was asked to perform a batch of iron stains by the Prussian Blue technique. The officer went to the block repository and chose one of the liver blocks known to contain haemosiderin. The officer checked the block number against the data in the control materials log and then cut four sections to process in parallel for the day's batch and those anticipated over the next few days. Noting that there was only one iron-positive block left, the officer wrote a short memo to the laboratory supervisor suggesting that the pathologist allow for a stock of tissue to be collected the next time they identified a suitable specimen.
Food processing
While many attributes of food can be quantified and specified using chemical reference standards, some attributes are best assessed by comparison with a physical reference sample. For example, the number of poppy seeds on a loaf of bread would be impractical to count. However, comparison with retention samples made with various levels of poppy seeds will give an approximation of the number of seeds on the bread. Suitable reference samples need to be prepared and preserved so that the handling of samples does not result in seeds falling from the sample.