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 ISO 9000 Set:2008 Quality management systems set
AS 2830.1 Good laboratory practice - Chemical analysis
AS3753-2001 Recommended practice for chemical analysis by ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometry
ISO 22891:2007 Paper - Determination of transmittance by diffuse reflectance measurement
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
National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) supplementary requirements for the field of testing
Australian code of good manufacturing practice (GMP)
principles of good laboratory practice (GLP)
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
national measurement regulations and guidelines
enterprise procedures, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and operating manuals
quality manuals, equipment and procedure manuals
equipment startup, operation and shutdown procedures
calibration and maintenance schedules
cleaning, hygiene and personal hygiene requirements
data quality procedures
enterprise recording and reporting procedures
material, production and product specifications
production and laboratory schedules
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 occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements
stock records and inventory
test procedures (validated and authorised)
waste minimisation, containment, processing and disposal procedures
UV/VIS/NIR instruments and techniques
UV/VIS/NIR instruments and techniques may include:
peristaltic sample pumps for flow injection analysis and sipper cells
single/double beam instruments and single/double/triple monochromators
discrete analysers for specific analytes
gas, liquid and thermally jacketed cells
fibre optic probes to measure fluorescence from rocks, gems and minerals
diffuse reflectance, (variable angle) specular reflectance accessories
double aperture accessories
rear beam attenuators
tablet dissolution accessories
data systems such as recorders, electronic integrators, and software packages for peak detection and spectra manipulation
Testing that uses UV/VIS/NIR spectroscopy
Testing that uses UV/VIS/NIR spectroscopy may include:
medical (pathology) testing of whole blood and urine (e.g. phosphates, nitrates and creatine)
forensic testing to establish analyte 'fingerprint' and possible source of scene of crime samples (e.g. paint by specular reflectance)
environmental monitoring of pollution in air, water or soil (e.g. colour and oxidisable organics)
control of starting materials, in-process materials and final products in a wide range of industry sectors (e.g. paper)
food and beverage (e.g. colour and organic compounds), tri-stimulus analysis(determination of food components such as moisture and protein)
pharmaceuticals (e.g. limit tests for active ingredients)
geological testing (e.g. characterisation of rocks, gems and minerals by fluorescence)
Presumptive tests
Presumptive tests may include:
source of sample
type and quantity of sample
assessing suitability of sample and specified preparation for spectroscopic technique
presence of interfering substances
stability of chromophore
Sample and standard preparation
Sample and standard preparation may include:
identification of any hazards associated with the samples and/or analytical chemicals
grinding, dissolving, extraction, filtration, refluxing, centrifuging, evaporation, washing and drying
determination of, and if appropriate, removal of any contaminants or impurities or interfering substances
Pre-use, calibration and safety checks
Pre-use, calibration and safety checks may include:
cleanliness of cells and dip/or probes
cell positioning
cell matching
checking integrity and alignment of accessories
wavelength accuracy
detector signal to noise ratio
stray light levels
baseline flatness
spectral bandwidth (sharpness of peak, peak intensity and resolution of adjacent peaks)
Instrumental parameters
Instrumental parameters may include:
spectral lamp selection
measurement mode (i.e. absorption and emission)
wavelength range and start/finish
spectral bandwidth (slit width and signal to noise ratio)
scan speed/fixed wavelength
temperature control for kinetic studies
Common analytical procedure problems and remedies
Common analytical procedure problems and remedies may include:
cell cleanliness
mismatched optical cell pairs
poor selectivity
alignment of external attachments
photo-degeneration and sample instability
Common equipment problems
Common equipment problems may include:
adjustment of optical elements such as mirrors and lamps
alignment of external accessories
cleanliness/optical matching of cells
Hazards
Hazards may include:
electric shock
biohazards, such as microbiological organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products, and human or animal tissue and fluids
corrosive chemicals
sharps and broken glassware
flammable liquids and gases
fluids under pressure, sources of ignition
disturbance or interruption of services
Addressing hazards
Addressing hazards may include:
use of MSDS
accurate labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials
personal protective equipment such as gloves, safety glasses and coveralls
use of fumehoods, direct extraction of vapours and gases
use of appropriate equipment such as biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets
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
replace standard UV/VIS/NIR instrument consumables, such as lamps and purge gases
install UV/VIS/NIRaccessories such as optical fibre probes, microscopes and reflectance units
safely set up, start up and shut down instrument using enterprise procedures
prepare samples and calibration standards in accordance with test method
check calibration/qualification status of equipment
optimise instrument sub-systems and procedures and equipment to suit sample/test requirements
operate equipment to obtain valid and reliable data
use software to identify analytes and calculate concentrations with appropriate accuracy, precision and units
recognise atypical data/results
troubleshoot common analytical procedure and equipment problems
record and report data/results using 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:
MSL976003A Evaluate and select appropriate test methods and procedures
MSL977003A Contribute to the validation of test methods
MSL977004A Develop or adapt analyses and procedures.
Resources may include:
laboratory with specialised analytical instruments
laboratory reagents and equipment
SOPs and test methods.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of test data/results/calibration graphs obtained by the candidate over time to ensure accuracy, validity, precision and timeliness of results
inspection of results and technical records (e.g. maintenance schedules and quality control logbooks) completed by the candidate
observation of candidate using UV/VIS/NIR instruments to measure analytes
feedback from clients, peers and supervisors
oral or written questioning of relevant UV/VIS/NIR spectroscopy concepts, chemical principles underpinning sample preparation and separation of species, instrument design and optimisation, analytical 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 workplacesetting.
Forensic science
A forensic science team is examining some fibre samples taken from a crime scene and a suspect. After a careful microscopic examination of the two sets of samples, one technician determines that both contain blue polyester fibres. Because of the problems associated with extracting dyes from fibres, the team decides to first use a non-destructive analytical technique. This involves obtaining the UV/VIS absorption spectra of single fibres using micro-spectrophotometry. Each fibre is mounted between a quartz slide and cover slip and examined in transmission. The laboratory's instrument enables the technician to obtain a several spectra from a 2µ x 2µ spot for a wavelength range of 190 nm to 900 nm. The repeat spectra for each fibre are first compared for internal consistency by overlaying the spectra in pairs. The spectra for each fibre are then compared with those obtained for the other fibres and with the reference spectra for a large number of known blue polyester fibres in an international spectral library. To provide enhanced discrimination, derivative spectra are used to reveal subtle inflections and changes of gradient in the broad convoluted absorption peaks. However, because of the spatial variations in dye uptake within any one fibre, these derivative spectra could not be relied on to provide conclusive identification. The team then attempted to measure each fibre's birefringence using a polarising microscope and employed a variety of FTIR transmission and reflectance techniques to shed more light on the chemical properties of the two sets of fibres.
Food processing
A laboratory technician's manager asks him/her to determine the concentration of Vitamin C in a sample of clear apple juice. The technician is very familiar with the analytical methods used for determining Vitamin C in bulk pharmaceutical preparations but soon realises that these methods do not give a reliable result in this case. He/she considers alternative spectroscopic methods. The technician is aware that the laboratory has a modern UV-VIS spectrometer with an advanced spectrum calculator capable of producing up to 4th order derivative spectra. After finding a suitable method, the technician determines the Vitamin C content by using the instrument's derivative capability to produce sharp peaks and overcome the broad UV absorption bands usually obtained with this kind of sample.