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 procedures may include:
Australian and international standards, such as:
AS ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
AS/NZS ISO 9001:2008 Quality management systems - Requirements
AS/NZS ISO 10005:2006 Quality management systems - Guidelines for quality plans
AS/NZS ISO 10012:2004 Quality assurance requirements for measurement equipment
ISO 5725 Accuracy (trueness and precision) of measurement methods and results
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
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
enterprise recording and reporting procedures and standard operating procedures (SOPs)
quality manuals, equipment and operating/technical manuals
test methods and calibration procedures (validated and authorised)
test methods and calibration procedures published by international, national or regional standards, reputable technical organisations, scientific texts or journals and equipment manufacturers
incident and accident/injury reports
schematics, workflows, laboratory layouts and production and laboratory schedules
Modifying or developing new test methods
Modifying or developing new test methods may involve using, testing and/or calibrating the following:
common test equipment, such as anemometers, balances, barometers, calipers, environmental chambers, hygrometers, manometers, masses, micrometers, pressure equipment, spectrophotometers, tape measures, rules, temperature (digital) indicating systems, thermometers, thermocouples, timing devices, vibration analysis equipment and weighing instruments
electrical reference standards, such as air-lines, analogue meters, attenuators, bridges-manual balance, capacitors, DC voltage references, digital instruments (calibrators, DMMs, electronic transfer standards), inductors, instrument and ratio transformers, instrument transformer test sets, potentiometers, resistors, radio frequency (RF) power meters, RF thermistor mounts and thermal converters, shunts, time interval and frequency standards, transfer standards AC-DC, voltage dividers, volt ratio boxes and watt-hour references
working standards, instruments and testing equipment, such as electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test equipment, field strength meters, flammability test equipment, gauges/test fingers/test pins, hipot testers, impact hammers, impulse testers, instrument calibrators, network analysers, signal generators and spectrum and harmonic analysers
Hazards may include:
Hazards may include:
electric shock
disturbance or interruption of services
manual handling of heavy equipment boxes
sources of electromagnetic radiation (lasers, RF generators/transmitters)
fluids under pressure
heat sources, such as ovens
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
Communication
Communication may be with:
supervisors and managers (laboratory, quality and customer service)
peers and other laboratory or relevant technical personnel
clients and end users of equipment
external auditors, or accreditation agency, such as National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA)
equipment manufacturers and suppliers of spare parts
Working environment
The working environment will have a controlled environment but could be a:
purpose-built designed facility
mobile facility in the field
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:
research current, alternative calibration methods and equipment for a given request
apply specialised technical knowledge to critically analyse and resolve complex problems associated with measurement non-conformances where solutions are not obvious or readily available
develop or adapt methods to suit technical and/or client requirements
conduct reliable calibration/testing trials to ensure a high degree of reproducibility
explain complex calibration procedures to clients and clarify requirements and deviations
liaise with peers and technical staff from other laboratories to clarify and validate test methods
estimate measurement uncertainty and apply statistical techniques for analysing test and/or calibration data
write calibration procedures using an unambiguous, logical sequence of instructions that meet statutory and regulatory requirements
prepare all test documentation accurately, concisely and in accordance with requirements
recognise opportunities for improvements to procedures.

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
MSL925002A Analyse measurements and estimate uncertainties.
Resources may include:
specialised calibration/test equipment, reference standards and materials and laboratory facilities
access to a library of calibration methods, procedures and equipment specifications
enterprise quality manual and procedures.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of documented calibration procedures modified or developed by the candidate and associated validation data
feedback from supervisors and/or customers regarding quality of calibration procedures developed or modified by the candidate
observation of the candidate creating/modifying calibration procedures
oral or written questioning to check underpinning knowledge of complex calibration 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.
Background
Calibration specialists have the skills and knowledge to operate, maintain and calibrate a very wide variety of test equipment and measuring instruments with limited guidance. They must remain abreast of technical and equipment advances, interpret complex technical information accurately and liaise with clients to clarify their needs. They must demonstrate high levels of initiative and concentration when performing technically demanding measurements, providing solutions for non-conforming work and when adjusting and repairing complex instruments. Calibration specialists are often asked to modify existing calibration procedures and develop new ones. International and Australian standards specify strict criteria for how this is to be done. Above all, clients must agree that the procedures meet their requirements and the procedures must be validated before use. A considerable understanding of test methods is required and personnel must be able to analyse complex technical specifications and estimate uncertainties.
Calibration
The calibration laboratories within the Australian Defence Force have recently been advised that all metric dimensional metrology (for example, micrometers, verniers and dial test indicators) must be calibrated to current Australian Standards. The supervisor of the physical laboratory conveys the new instruction to his staff. One of the technicians is about to begin calibrating a batch of micrometers but because the client's (Defence) calibration requirements have changed, they halt proceedings until a new procedure is drafted. The technician rings the other Defence laboratories and establishes that no procedure for that particular model of micrometer exists and therefore seeks permission from the supervisor to develop one. The laboratory supervisor has no reservations because the technician is a calibration specialist who has worked in the industry for a long time.
The technician first obtains a copy of AS 2102 Micrometer calipers for external measurement, copies of the technical specifications relating to the reference standards (gauge blocks and optical flats/parallels) and those for the micrometers themselves. The technician lists all the parameters to be tested and drafts a new results template. They calculate tolerances and uncertainties, amend the template accordingly and neatly lay out raw data, calculations and formulae used for peer review. As the technician goes through each measurement they record the various steps in accordance with enterprise procedures so that the test can be reproduced. The required safety procedures, the environmental conditions and the need for equipment stabilisation are also carefully documented.
On completion of the test, the technician compares the data with the micrometer's previous calibration history and double checks the new methodology against a similar American NAVAIR calibration procedure. They are satisfied that the procedure is fit for purpose, that it meets the client's needs and is technically justified and that the data is valid. The technician then presents the draft procedure for another technician to complete.
The test is reproduced successfully and the documentation is given to the administration staff for word processing. Upon completion, the draft test procedure is emailed to the other six Defence laboratories for comment. Following the correction of minor clerical errors, the procedure is submitted to the military's primary standard laboratory (MSL) for final approval and authorisation.