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
ASTM E168 - 06 Standard practices for general techniques of infra red quantitative analysis
ASTM E334 - 01(2007) Standard practice for general techniques of infra red microanalysis
ASTM E573 - 01(2007) Standard practices for internal reflection spectroscopy
ASTM E2224 - 02 Standard guide for forensic analysis of fibers by infra red spectroscopy
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 (MSDSs)
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
IR/FTIR instruments and techniques
IR/FTIR instruments and techniques may include:
grating or interferometer as the dispersive element
gas sampling cells
liquid autosamplers and flow cells
beam condensers for micro-samples
reflection/transmission holders for FTIR microscopes
specialised infra red windows for FTIR microscopes
attenuated total reflectance ATR units (e.g. variable pressure, horizontal HATR trough plates, multiple internal reflectance MIR, single reflection ATR units and universal UATR units)
fixed/variable angle specular reflectance units
polarisers
single point microscopes and array-based imagers
discrete analysers (e.g. oil and SO2)
data systems such as recorders, electronic integrators, and software packages for peak detection and spectra manipulation
spectral library matching
Testing that uses IR/FTIR spectroscopy
Testing that uses IR/FTIR spectroscopy may include:
medical (pathology) testing (e.g. bacterial screening)
forensic testing to establish analyte 'fingerprint' and possible source of scene of crime samples (e.g. paint layers by specular reflectance, fingermark residues by ATR and fibres by polarisable ATR)
environmental monitoring of pollution in air, water or soil (e.g. multi-organic components in industrial emissions)
control of starting materials, in-process materials and final products in a wide range of industry sectors (e.g. surface defects in polymers, semiconductor contamination and quantitation of biodiesel components)
materials testing (e.g. lubricant condition)
food testing (e.g. moisture and protein determination in grain)
pharmaceuticals (e.g. drug testing of athletes)
geological testing (e.g. oil inclusions in rocks by grazing angle ATR)
Presumptive tests
Presumptive tests may include:
source of sample
type and quantity of sample
assessing suitability of sample and specified preparation for spectroscopic technique (e.g. pH and aqueous content)
Sample and standard preparation
Sample and standard preparation may include:
identification of any hazards associated with the samples and/or analytical chemicals
grinding, mulling and preparation of disks
dissolving, extraction, 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
condition of desiccant packs and purge gas flows
detector coolant
optical alignment (e.g. beam splitter alignment, mirrors and accessories)
cell positioning and cell matching
checking integrity and alignment of accessories
wavelength accuracy using polystyrene
amplifier gain adjustment, signal to noise ratio
stray light levels
100% transmittance 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. transmittance, reflectance)
wavelength range, start/finish
spectral bandwidth (slit width and signal to noise ratio)
scan speed/fixed wavelength
number of scans
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 and incorrect cell path length
alignment of external attachments
full scale absorption and too much sample
non-homogeneity of samples
air gap between solid sample and reflectance crystal
Common equipment problems
Common equipment problems may include:
system leaks
adjustment of optical elements such as mirrors and lamps
alignment of external accessories
cleanliness/optical matching of cells and cell window degradation
cell blockages
contamination of reflectance crystal
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 and 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 IR/FTIR instrument consumables such as lamps, desiccants and purge gases
install IR/FTIR accessories, such as sample cells/probes, microscope 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 IR/FTIR instruments to measure analytes
feedback from clients, peers and supervisors
oral or written questioning of relevant IR/FTIR 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 workplace setting.
Forensic science
A forensic science team is examining some motor vehicle paint samples taken from a crime scene. After a careful microscopic examination of the topcoat and undercoat layers, one technician narrows the sample's origin down to a small range of possible vehicle makes, models and years of manufacture. To aid identification, another technician prepares a small paint chip for examination in the laboratory's FTIR spectrometer. After referring to the recommended analytical methods, he/she decides to use a transmittance technique because all the sampling wavelengths are subjected to the same path lengths and most of the reference data for paints, binders, pigments and additives consist of transmittance spectra. The technician cuts a cross-section sample with a microtome to expose an edge of the multi-layered sample and then mounts it using the microscope accessory. He/she adjusts the microscope aperture to minimise stray light and diffraction effects before obtaining spectra for each layer. After comparing his/her results with the spectral library data for binders, pigments and additives used by the manufacturers of interest, the origin of the paint is identified. Some weeks later, confirmation is obtained when samples taken from a suspect's vehicle match the physical and chemical features and spectra determined from the crime scene samples and diffuse reflectance measurements on the two sets of samples show identical weathering and surface contamination.