Elements and Performance Criteria

The range of variables relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that will affect performance.
Where reference is made to industry Codes of Practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used.
All operations must comply with relevant standards, enterprise procedures and test methods.

These procedures include or have been prepared from regulations, codes and guidelines, including
AS 2243 Safety in laboratories
AS 2982 Hand washing facilities
AS 2243.8 Fume hoods
AS 2252 Biological safety cabinets
SAA HB9 Occupational personal protection, and other relevant standards for protective, clothing (for example, AS 2161, AS 2210, AS 1337 and AS 1338)
AS 1678 Emergency procedures guide for hazardous materials
AS 2500 Storage of goods
AS 2503 Safety storage and handling of information cards
AS 1940 Storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids
AS 3780 Storage and handling of corrosive liquids
AS 4452 Storage and handling of toxic substances
standards for the segregation of wastes, such as AS 2243.3 and AS 2243.4
AS/NEC/ISO 14000
Australian Dangerous Goods Code
Australian Code for Transport of Dangerous Goods
guidelines for the operation of classes of laboratories
permits for wildlife capture and handling
animal welfare and ethics requirements, Codes of Practice
Australian Quarantine Inspection Service guidelines for the importation of biological products
National Code of Practice for the labelling of workplace substances (NOHSC:2012)
Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) guidelines for working with genetically-altered organisms.

Hazards may include
electric shock
microbiological organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products, human or animal tissue and fluids
solar radiation, dust, noise
exposure to extreme weather conditions
snake, insect and animal bites
chemicals, such as acids, heavy metals, pesticides, hydrocarbons
aerosols from broken centrifuge tubes, pipetting
radiation, such as alpha, beta, gamma, X-ray
sharps, broken glassware and hand tools
flammable liquids
cryogenics, such as dry ice and liquid nitrogen
fluids under pressure, such as steam, hydrogen in gas liquid chromatography, acetylene in atomic absorption spectrometry
sources of ignition
high temperature ashing processes
disturbance or interruption of services
occupational overuse syndrome, slips, trips and falls
manual handling, working at heights and in confined spaces
crushing, entanglement, cuts associated with moving machinery or falling objects
vehicle and boat handling.

Hazard control measures may include
ensuring access to service shut-off points
recognising and observing hazard warnings and safety signs
use of material safety data sheets (MSDS)
labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials
handling and storing hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labelling, materials safety data sheets and manufacturer's instructions
identifying and reporting operating problems or equipment malfunctions
cleaning and decontaminating equipment and work areas regularly using enterprise procedures
using personal protective clothing and equipment, such as hats, hearing protection, gloves, safety glasses, coveralls, gown, body suits, respirators and safety boots
applying containment procedures through the use of appropriate equipment, such as biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets and Class PCII and PCIII physical containment facilities
following established manual handling procedures for tasks involving manual handling
reporting abnormal emissions, discharges and airborne contaminants, such as noise, light, solids, liquids, water/waste water, gases, smoke, vapour, fumes, odour and particulates to appropriate personnel.
Risk is the chance of something happening that will result in injury or damage. It is measured in terms of consequences and likelihood. Risk management is the systematic process that is directed towards identifying hazards, assessing the risk and developing controls to minimise the risk and monitoring the effectiveness of the controls (and taking action as required). It may include using a risk register.

Risk assessment is a process that involves analysing the risk in order to identify factors influencing the risk and the range of potential consequences and assessing
effectiveness of existing controls
likelihood of each consequence considering exposure and hazard level
combining these in some way to obtain a level of risk.
A complete risk assessment will also include comparison of the determined risk with pre-established criteria for tolerance (or as low as reasonably achievable) and the subsequent ranking of risks requiring control.

Hierarchy of control is also referred to as the safety decision hierarchy' and describes the preferred order of risk control measures from most to least preferred, that is
eliminating risk
substituting with a lesser hazard
isolating personnel from hazard
engineering controls
applying administrative controls, for example, procedures and training
using personal protective equipment.
Personnel may use computers for communication (email and internet) word processing and preparation of spreadsheets.

Typical materials may include
live flora and fauna, such as plant specimens
animals, such as rats, bacteria, algae, insects, fungi
blood and blood products, human or animal tissue and fluids
teaching aids, such as textbooks, videos
distilled water, reagents, chemicals, disinfectants, detergents, agar media and plates
consumable items, such as syringes, pipette tips, weigh boats
oils/lubricants, fuels, industrial gases, cryogenics, such as dry ice and liquid nitrogen
equipment spares, such as fuses, bulbs, batteries
paper, stationery
reference samples and standards.

Typical equipment may include
analytical instruments, such as UV/VIS and AAS spectrometers; GC, HPLC.
animal cages
autoclaves
balances
blenders, centrifuges and separating equipment
cell counters, staining machines
dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, ovens, microwave ovens, incubators, water baths
fume hoods, biohazard containers, biological safety cabinets
gas cylinders
glassware (burettes, pipettes); plastic ware; glass, plastic, quartz cuvettes
hotplates, mantles, burners, muffle furnaces
light and fluorescence microscopes
microtomes, tissue processors
teaching aids, such as VCR and DVD players, computers
thermometers, pH meters and ion selective electrodes
ultrasonic cleaners
analytical instruments, such as UV/VIS and AAS spectrometers, gas chromatograph GC.

Incidents and emergencies include
workplace injury and accidents
biological and chemical spills
leakage of radioactivity
fire
bomb
security threats.

Contingencies may include
new information
urgent requests
modified activities
changed situations
late instructions from appropriate personnel
substitution of reagents.

Sources of materials and equipment may include
field trips, including land- and sea-based
botanic gardens and parks
abattoirs
commercial suppliers
other institutions
blood bank
shops.

Demonstration of techniques and use of equipment may involve
teaching staff
other technical staff
students during practical classes
students doing projects or postgraduate studies.

Resource management may include
preparation of operational plans
schedules and budgets
handling of petty cash and reconciliation of bank statements
contacting suppliers and completing order requisition forms
use of an enterprise credit card.

Health, safety and environment
All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environmental (HSE) requirements, which may be imposed through State or Federal legislation, and these must not be compromised at any time. Where there is an apparent conflict between performance criteria and HSE requirements, the HSE requirements take precedence.
All operations assume the potential hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied. Users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council and State and Territory Departments of Health. All operations are performed in accordance with standard operating procedures.

The Evidence Guide describes the underpinning knowledge and skills that must be demonstrated to prove competence.
Critical aspects of competency

Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard. In particular, assessors should look to see that the candidate:

clarifies/designs practical activities and assesses resource needs
works with teaching staff and students to assess risks, develop and implement controls and monitors their effectiveness
prepares laboratory experiments and demonstrations on time with the correct materials and equipment
works with teaching staff and students to ensure all practical activities are performed safely (through demonstrations and monitoring of practical activities)
manages contingencies and resources within level of responsibility
maintains the laboratory fit for purpose
liaises with suppliers to obtain stocks of materials and equipment using enterprise procedures
works effectively with students and staff who may have diverse work styles, cultures and perspectives.

Underpinning knowledge

Competency includes the ability to apply and explain:

scientific terminology used in common practical activities
relevant legislation, regulations, codes governing practical activities
technical details of sampling, testing, equipment and instrumentation used in common practical activities
enterprise procedures for the purchase, handling and storage of materials and equipment
principles of budgeting, operational planning and efficient resource use
principles of risk assessment and risk management, hierarchy of control
problem solving techniques and contingency planning
relevant enterprise health, safety and environment requirements.

Assessment context and methods
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.

The following assessment methods are suggested:

review of operational plans, schedules and budgets prepared by the candidate
review of risk assessments and treatment strategies prepared by the candidate
review of job cards detailing completed tasks
feedback from students, teaching staff, suppliers and supervisor
observation of the candidate assisting teaching staff and students during practical activities
written or oral questions to partly assess the candidate's knowledge of relevant enterprise procedures, technical details of common practical activities and his/her ability to handle a range of contingencies.
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. Questioning techniques should suit the language and literacy levels of the candidate.

Interdependent assessment of unit

This unit of competency may be assessed with:

PMLOHS400A Maintain laboratory/field workplace safety
any of the PMLTEST400, PMLTEST500 and PMLMAIN500 series of units relevant to the practical activities conducted.

Resource implications

Resources may include:

laboratory/field work environment, equipment and materials
personal protective equipment, safety equipment
enterprise OHS management system, policies and procedures

This competency in practice
A biology class returns from a short excursion where pond water samples have been collected. The teacher plans for the students to identify some of the common microscopic organisms present in the samples and conduct a range of tests for pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity and the presence of nitrates. The teaching assistant prepares, checks and calibrates the monitoring equipment and sets out ten microscopes with clean slides, cover slips and transfer pipettes together with waste buckets and bags for collection of biological material. A sharps container is set out for broken slides and cover slips. At the end of the class, the assistant cleans, checks and stows the microscopes and collects the waste material for disposal. The assistant disposes of the waste according to enterprise procedures.
A technical officer has responsibility for the technical support of practical classes in two laboratories. Every semester, he/she prepares a detailed schedule for all classes and field trips in collaboration with the teaching staff. This involves a careful assessment of risks and implementation of controls for each kind of activity to ensure that the institution meets its OHS and environmental management responsibilities. The schedule must also satisfy the science department budget constraints, seasonal variations and the availability of key staff and items of equipment. The officer's daily routine involves the preparation of all equipment, experiments and demonstrations for classes; the checking of equipment before and after its use; general cleaning and maintenance of equipment and work areas; and the maintenance of stock levels.

The seven key competencies represent generic skills considered for effective work participation. The bracketed numbering against each of the key competencies indicates the performance level required in this unit. These are stand-alone levels and do not correspond to levels in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
Level (1) represents the competence to undertake tasks effectively
Level (2) represents the competence to manage tasks
Level (3) represents the competence to use concepts for evaluating and reshaping tasks.
Communicating ideas and information
(2)

Collecting analysing and organising information
(2)

Planning and organising activities
(3)

Working with others and in teams
(3)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
(2)

Solving problems
(2)

Using technology
(2)