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 2163-2000 Laboratory glassware - Measuring cylinders
AS 2165-1996 Laboratory glassware - Burettes AS 2162.1-1996 Verification and use of volumetric apparatus - General - Volumetric glassware
AS ISO 1000-1998 The international system of units (SI) and its application
AS/NZS ISO 9000 Set:2008 Quality management systems set
AS ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
AS/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set
Australian code of good manufacturing practice for medicinal products (GMP)
calibration and maintenance schedules
enterprise recording and reporting procedures
equipment manuals
equipment startup, operation and shutdown procedures
MSDS and safety procedures
material, production and product specifications
national measurement regulations and guidelines
principles of good laboratory practice (GLP)
production and laboratory schedules
quality manuals
SOPs
waste minimisation and safe disposal procedures
Solutions
Solutions may include but are not limited to:
solutions of strong/weak acids and bases
oxidising/reducing agents
solutions used for complexometric or precipitation titrations
stains for cells and tissues, enzymes, buffers and antibodies
diluents for maintaining isotonicity
organic solutions and histological fixatives
Apparatus and reagents to prepare standard solutions
Apparatus and reagents to prepare standard solutions may include:
balances
pipettes, burettes, volumetric glassware and weighing bottles
dessicators and filtering media
ovens and muffle furnaces
solutions, indicators and primary and secondary standards
auto titrators, pH meters and other related meters and electrodes for determining equivalence points, top pan and analytical balances
magnetic stirrers and heaters, and water baths
Checking useability of solutions
Checking useability of solutions may include:
examining stained samples for correct staining reactions
performing pH checks
confirming enzyme activity
checking red cell suspensions for haemolysis
ferric chloride for phenolic solutions
isotonicity for saline
Hazards
Hazards may include:
chemicals, such as strong acids and bases, and stains
sharps and broken glassware
burners, hot plates, ovens and furnaces
Safe work practices
Safe work practices may include:
use of MSDS
use of personal protective equipment, such as gloves, safety glasses, goggles, faceguards, coveralls and gowns
use of biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets and fume hoods
correct labelling of reagents and hazardous materials
handling and storing hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labels, MSDS, manufacturer's instructions, and enterprise procedures and regulations
regular cleaning and/or decontaminating of equipment and work areas
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:
use balances and volumetric glassware
select and use primary and secondary standards
select and use indicators
perform quality assurance checks for solution performance
perform titrations using laboratory procedures with required accuracy and precision and within required timelines
calculate the concentration of the solution given the chemical reaction for the titration
recognise control results that are not within acceptable range
record results to enterprise standards
label and store solutions in accordance with enterprise procedures
interpret and follow enterprise SOPs
interpret and use safety information, such as that provided by MSDS and follow relevant safety 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:
relevant MSAL974000 series units of competency, and
relevant MSAL975000 series units of competency dealing with sampling, tests and measurements.
Resources may include:
standard laboratory equipped with appropriate volumetric equipment
laboratory reagents and equipment
SOPs and testing methods.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
inspection and/or testing of solutions prepared by the candidate
review of records and workplace documentation completed by candidate
review of work outputs by the candidate over time to ensure accuracy, consistency and timeliness
feedback from peers and supervisors
observation of the candidate preparing, standardising and using a range of solutions
oral or written questioning.
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.
Manufacturing
A standard solution is used to determine the concentration of unknown solutions. The quality of these analyses is critically related to the accuracy with which the concentration of the standard solution is known. Therefore, laboratory technicians spend considerable effort to ensure that the materials and methods used for the preparation and standardisation will lead to a solution of accurately known concentration. For example, anhydrous sodium carbonate is often used to prepare solutions to determine the concentrations of acids. The sodium carbonate is heated at a suitable temperature to remove any trace of moisture and cooled in a dessicator. An appropriate quantity is dissolved in distilled water and made up to volume in a volumetric flask. This solution of known concentration is then titrated with acids of unknown concentration and the concentration of the acids determined.
Environmental
A laboratory technician was required to determine the total acidity of a water sample as part of a quality control program. The total acidity was measured by titrating the water sample with sodium hydroxide of known concentration using an appropriate indicator. The concentration of the sodium hydroxide was determined via a volumetric titration against a primary standard of potassium hydrogen phthalate.
The value of the total acidity was determined by multiplying the volume of sodium hydroxide used with a numerical 'factor' which had been determined by the laboratory supervisor in order to save time. The value of the 'factor' was displayed on the titration equipment. However, a new technical assistant did the full calculation and found that his/her result differed slightly from that obtained using the 'factor'. After discussion with the laboratory supervisor it was agreed that the error was in the 'factor' and the assumption that each new batch of sodium hydroxide prepared was exactly the same concentration as all previous batches. This was incorrect as the concentration of each batch differed slightly and its actual concentration was determined accurate, using the primary standard. The procedure was changed so that the full calculation was required for all tests.