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
The Environmental Protection Act 1986
state/territory government legislation and regulations and local government by-laws, policies, and plans dealing with:
land use, acquisition, planning and protection
environmental protection
pollution and contaminated sites
Australian and international standards, such as:
AS/NZS 4323.3:2001 Stationary source emissions - Determination of odour concentration by dynamic olfactometry
AS/NZS 4323.4:2009 Stationary source emissions - Area source sampling - Flux chamber technique
SAA HB 9 Occupational personal protection
data quality procedures
enterprise procedures for sampling, monitoring, checking calibration of dynamic olfactometers
equipment manuals and warranties, supplier catalogue and handbooks
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
occupational health and safety (OHS) national standards and codes of practice
Odour sources and geometries
Odour sources may include:
waste water treatment plants, sludge ponds
solid waste recycling plants
landfill and landfill gas treatment plants
chemical plants
composting operations, food and by-product processing, such as rendering and tanning plants
agriculture/livestock facilities, such as poultry and pig farming, cattle feedlots and mushroom farms
Odour source geometries may include:
point, area, volume and fugitive sources
Information about the site and industrial activities
Information about the site and industrial activities collected by air quality scientists and engineers may include:
location of site and nearby buildings, topography and meteorological records
complaints, and previous odour assessments at site and nearby locations
other industrial activities or potential odour sources in the surrounding area
industrial process inputs/outputs, flow diagram and process flowchart
unit operations and typical variability, nominal and upset conditions
pollution control equipment and techniques for industrial processes
air emission control systems, such as scrubbers, bag filters, stacks and bio filters
forced or natural ventilation within odorous buildings
parameters of emission sources, such as location, geometry, and release parameters for processes
operational conditions and period of operation
batch or continuous operation for units upstream from the emission source
predictable variations in process conditions, production rates and weather interaction
Complaint records
Complaint records may include:
date and time of the complaint, and complainant details
odour characteristic and weather conditions
actions undertaken to verify the complaint
actions undertaken to fix the issue
back communication/information to complainant
Odour sampling/monitoring plans
Odour sampling/monitoring plans may include:
monitoring protocol with details of purpose, duration, scope, available resources, detailed procedures and data quality requirements
site map showing key community features, plant boundaries, possible/confirmed odour sources and topography
monitoring at the source with sampling locations, sampling conditions (process and meteorology), type of sampling, coding and numbers of samples
data collection forms (e.g. source location, geometry, operational conditions, sampling strategy and design deviations)
Odour sampling and laboratory monitoring equipment
Odour sampling and laboratory monitoring equipment may include:
sampling bags, such as Teflon, Tedlar and Nalophan
portable wind tunnel sampling systems
fluxhood/fluxchamber/isolation chamber sampling systems
sorbent sampling tubes and stainless steel canisters for collecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
tubing, pumps, carbon filters and diluter
sweep gases for sample collection, such as nitrogen
tracer gas for calibration, such as carbon monoxide (CO)
reference material, such as 1-butanol
dynamic olfactometers for laboratory use
Pre-use checks of sampling and monitoring equipment
Pre-use checks of sampling and monitoring equipment may include:
cleanliness of reusable items
leak testing of sample bags, preparation of VOC canisters and sampling equipment
pump pressures and flow rate of sweep gases calibration checks
olfactometer (range, accuracy, precision and lowest detection limit (LDL))
n-butanol storage
cleanliness of the measurement room of the olfactometry laboratory
Selection and training for laboratory panellists
Selection and training for laboratory panellists may include:
use of the reference material (n-butanol) to determine odour threshold and performance of individuals in relation to normative values
use of standard dynamic olfactometry procedures
effects of alertness, attention, fatigue and health status
odour descriptor assignation
odour panel calibration results (AS/NZS 4323.3:2001 Stationary source emissions - Determination of odour concentration by dynamic olfactometry) and traceability of the panellist tests
Odour laboratory condition requirements
The odour testing environment in the laboratory requires an odour-free environment and includes:
no stray source odours (e.g. renovation, furniture, equipment and stored chemicals)
effective ventilation with filtered air conditioning
temperature control
no direct sunlight exposure
noise-free room
Odour monitoring data
Odour monitoring data may include:
emission source characteristics, such as air velocity, dimensions of a vent or area, temperature, humidity, partial pressure, adjustments made for high temperature and/or high pressure and/or high humidity flows, and ventilation rates
sampling data, such as sampling start/end times, type of equipment, sampling location within the source, meteorological and process conditions, ambient temperature, pressure and humidity, diluter use and dynamic dilution rate, sampling flow rates, and any deviations from the requirements of the standard or internal procedure
laboratory measurement data, such as identification of the panellist, temperature of the room, date and time of the measurement, chemical analyser and olfactometer operational parameters, odour panel calibration result, set of dilutions over the measurements rounds, average dilution for the panel at the odour threshold, odour concentration result and uncertainty, and any deviation from the requirements of the standard or internal procedure
Odour control strategies
Odour control strategies may include:
physical, such as adsorption, absorption, photo ionisation, masking and neutralisation
chemical, such as scrubbing, oxidation and incineration
biological, such as biofiltration using bacteria
combined, such as bioscrubbers
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:
accurately interpreting client requests, enterprise procedures and legislative/regulatory requirements
selecting suitable panellists under supervision
communicating effectively with clients and panellists
collecting and preparing odour samples in accordance with standard methods or enterprise procedures
using olfactometry equipment to obtain reliable data
processing odour data and confirming its acceptability
communicating the significance of odour results, including the discussion of any errors and/or unexpected variation to appropriate personnel
reporting results and completing all records in the required format and timeframe
working safely.
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:
MSS025002A Assess the environmental risk or impact of a project activity or process
MSS025004A Provide environmental information to customers
MSS025011A Assist with odour field assessment.
The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team.
Resources may include:
odour sampling and measuring equipment
standard laboratory with facilities, equipment, materials and reagents for required measurements
enterprise procedures, standard test methods and equipment manuals.
Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of odour data, results and records prepared by the candidate
feedback from peers and supervisors that the candidate consistently follows enterprise procedures, standard test methods and works safely
feedback from clients and panellists about the candidate’s handling of enquiries and information
oral/written questioning associated with odour sampling, odour measurements and calculations
observation of the candidate collecting odour samples and conducting olfactometry testing and/or instructing panellists.
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