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 ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
AS/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set
AS/NZS 2982.1:1997 Laboratory design and construction - General requirements
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
AS/NZS ISO 9000 Set:2008 Quality management systems set
AS ISO 1000-1998 The international system of units (SI) and its application
AS 2134.1-1999 Recommended practice for chemical analysis by atomic absorption spectrometry - Flame atomic absorption spectrometry
AS 3753-2001 Recommended practice for chemical analysis by ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry
ISO/IEC Guide 98-3:2008 Uncertainty of measurement - Part 3 Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM)
Eurachem/CITAC Guide CG4 Quantifying uncertainty in analytical measurement
Australian code of good manufacturing practice for medicinal products (GMP)
calibration and maintenance schedules
cleaning, hygiene and personal hygiene requirements
data quality procedures
enterprise procedures, SOPs and operating manuals
enterprise recording and reporting procedures
equipment startup, operation and shutdown procedures
Guide to physical containment levels and facility types
incident and accident/injury reports
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
material, production and product specifications
national measurement regulations and guidelines
principles of GLP
production and laboratory schedules
quality manuals, equipment and procedure manuals
quality system and continued improvement processes
safety requirements for equipment, materials or products
sampling procedures (labelling, preparation, storage, transport and disposal)
schematics, work flows and laboratory layouts
statutory and enterprise OHS requirements
stock records and inventory
test procedures (validated and authorised)
training program contents
waste minimisation, containment, processing and disposal procedures
Routine spectrometric methods
Routine spectrometric methods may include:
ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS)
infrared, including Fourier transform infrared and near infrared
atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS)
fluorescence
flame emission spectroscopy
Tests
Tests may include methods for:
control of starting materials, in-process materials and finished products (e.g. petroleum, food, mining and manufacturing)
environmental monitoring pollutants in air, water, soil and vegetation
forensic tests
therapeutic drug analysis
diagnostic pathology tests
determinations of enzyme activity
routine chemical analytes, such as starch, glucose, DNA, and therapeutic degradation products
troubleshooting enterprise processes
Preparation of sample
Preparation of sample includes processes, such as:
identification of any hazards associated with samples and/or analytical chemicals
grinding, mulling, preparation of discs, ashing, dissolving, refluxing, extraction, filtration, evaporation, precipitation, centrifugation, drying and washing
determination of and, if appropriate, removal of any contaminants, impurities or interfering substances
Common analytical procedure and equipment problems
Common analytical procedure and equipment problems may include:
dirty or contaminated sample cells
inappropriate selection of wavelength
problems with interfering or complexing substances
incomplete atomisation of analyte
poor resolution of peaks
poor sensitivity
need to dilute samples
Hazards
Hazards may include:
electric shock
radiation (UV)
biohazards:
microbiological organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products, and human or animal tissue and fluids
mycotoxins
acids (e.g. sulphuric and nitric)
hazardous materials (e.g. heavy metals and pesticides)
hydrocarbons (e.g. phenol, benzene, toluene and complex mixtures)
aerosols from broken centrifuge tubes and pipetting
sharps and broken glassware
flammable liquids and gases
fluids under pressure, such as acetylene in atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS)
sources of ignition
high temperature ashing processes
disturbance or interruption of services
Addressing hazards
Addressing hazards may involve:
use of MSDS
labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials
use of personal protective equipment, such as gloves, safety glasses and coveralls
use of fumehoods, direct extraction of vapours and waste gases
use of appropriate equipment, such as biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets
use of Class PCII, PCIII and PCIV physical containment laboratories
handling and storage of all hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labelling, MSDS and manufacturer's instructions
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:
interpret client requests, test methods and procedures accurately
safely set up and shut down equipment using enterprise procedures
check calibration/qualification status of equipment
prepare standards and samples appropriately
choose and optimises procedures and equipment settings to suit sample/test requirements, such as selection of wavelength maxima and position of burner)
operate equipment to obtain valid and reliable data
make approved adjustments to procedures for non-routine samples
recognise atypical data/results
troubleshoot common analytical procedure and equipment problems
apply theoretical knowledge to interpret data and makes relevant conclusions
record and report data/results in accordance with enterprise procedures
maintain security, integrity and traceability of samples and documentation
follow OHS procedures and principles of GLP.

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:
MSL925001A Analyse data and report results.
Resources may include:
standard laboratory equipped with appropriate spectrometers, laboratory reagents and equipment
SOPs and test methods.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of test data/results obtained by the candidate over time to ensure accuracy, consistency and timeliness of results
inspection of test records and workplace documentation completed by the candidate
feedback from peers and supervisors
observation of candidate applying a range of routine spectrometric techniques
oral or written questioning of chemical principles and concepts, spectrometric techniques and enterprise procedures.
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.
Manufacturing
Ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy is a sensitive technique for measuring polycyclic hydrocarbons. Because polycyclic hydrocarbons are considered carcinogenic, they are strictly regulated, and technicians making these measurements must follow enterprise procedures when handling samples. A technician conducting such an analysis noted variable results. After some discussion with the laboratory scientist, it was determined that the standard materials were light sensitive and were being degraded. The technician suggested that they change the light in the work space to yellow. When the lighting was changed, the standard remained stable and the measurements for polycyclic hydrocarbons were carried out successfully.
Biotechnology
DNA can be extracted from human blood for subsequent identification of inherited genetic disorders, paternity disputes or forensic investigations. It is not a difficult procedure and is performed by technical officers in diagnostic molecular biology laboratories and those working in university research laboratories.
In such a procedure, the DNA is separated from the haemoglobin and blood cells, the protein in the plasma and the fat by a series of enzymic digests and phenol/chloroform extractions. The last purification step involves precipitation by clod ethanol and dissolving the DNA in TRIS buffer. The yield from 10mL of human blood is about 12-20mg of DNA if all is well. The yield is determined by spectrometric absorption at 260 and 280nm. The two wavelengths are used to determine the DNA extract and the degree of protein contamination. The technical officer will carry out this step before proceeding. Too small a yield will make further testing impractical and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) will then be used to amplify the DNA in the sample.
Food processing
A technician was determining the amount (by mass) of (-carotene in imported tomato paste. The technician extracted a known mass of the paste into acidified ether, evaporated off the solvent and measured the absorbance of the remaining material by spectrometry. After reference to the Australian Food Additive Guide, the technician was able to report the tomato paste met the requirements of the Australian standard.