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.
Relevant legislation, codes, regulations and standards include:
Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF) standards and codes
AS Communications Cabling Manual (CCM) Volume 1
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
Contract Law
National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) requirements
OHS
regulated or industry codes of practice including appropriate ACMA technical standards
technical standards AS/ACIF S008:2006 and AS/ACIF S009:2006
Trade Practices Act.
Hazards may include:
building debris
earth potential rise (EPR):
event at a site, such as an electrical distribution substation, may expose telecommunications personnel, users or plant to hazardous voltages
glass fibre
live power lines
manual handling
mud and water
natural gas and other gas build up
needle stick injury
optical fibre cable may contain hazardous light
radio frequency (RF) equipment emitting radiation
remote power feeding services which operate at above telecommunications network voltage (TNV)
vermin.
Type of cable may include:
access cable
coaxial cable
customer cable
data cable
optical fibre cable.
Nature of fault may include:
distortion
earth hum
interference
intermittent
low signal level
noise
poor signal quality.
Customer may include:
fault centre
individual reporting the fault
network manager
network operations centre staff
site manager.
Cable system may include:
access network cabling
coaxial cabling
data cabling:
Category 5, 6E or 7
lead-in cable
optical network cabling
structured cabling.
Testing tools and equipment may include:
bridge set
cable locater
cable test set
digital fault test set
Megger
optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR)
pulse echo test set.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) may include:
electrical isolators
gas detectors
personal protective clothing:
earmuffs
gloves:
plastic
rubber
leather
head protection
kneepads
masks
protective suits
safety boots
safety glasses.
Appropriate test may include:
capacitive balancing
continuity
distortion
foreign battery test
frequency measurement
insertion loss
insulation
return loss.
OHS and environmental requirements may relate to:
identifying other services, including power and gas
need for decommissioning and isolating worksite and lines prior to commencement
safety equipment:
flashing lights
gas and other hazard detection equipment
safety barriers
trench guards
warning signs and tapes
witches hats
safe working practices, such as the safe use and handling of:
tools and equipment
materials
chemicals
work platforms
asbestos
suitable light and ventilation
special access requirements
environmental considerations:
clean-up protection
noise, dust and clean-up management
stormwater protection
waste management.
Type of cable fault may include:
attenuation
bad connections
cable damage
cracked fibre
crossed wires
faulty splice
high impedance
incorrect terminations
moisture ingress
near end crosstalk
open circuits
reversal.

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
Evidence of the ability to:
identify different faults using simple checks, tests and fault-finding methodology
determine and rank likely causes of fault
provide fault rectification solutions to customer
rectify faults
escalate unresolved faults to other parties for resolution
comply with all related OHS requirements and work practices.
Context of, and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure:
sites where cable system tests may be conducted
use of fault-finding equipment currently used in industry
relevant regulatory and equipment documentation that impact on cable system testing and fault-finding activities.
Methods of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
review of a hands-on project completed by the candidate
review of an oral and written report, including test results and fault-finding methodologies
direct observation of the candidate locating and identifying cable system faults.
Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:
ICTCBL2016A Joint metallic conductor cable on customer premises.

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.