Elements and Performance Criteria

Range description
Work is carried out according to company policies and procedures, regulatory and licensing requirements, legislative requirements, and industrial awards and agreements
Legislative requirements are typically reflected in procedures and specifications. Legislation relevant to this industry includes the Food Standards Code including labelling, weights and measures legislation; and legislation covering food safety, environmental management, occupational health and safety, anti-discrimination and equal opportunity. When applied to the pharmaceutical industry, relevant GMP codes apply in place of the Food Standards Code and reference to food safety is replaced by GMP
Workplace information may include Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), specifications, production schedules and instructions, manufacturers' advice, consignment notes, verification procedures and standard forms and reports
Mixing/blending equipment may include measuring and weighing equipment such as scales, load cells, dosing equipment, mixers, pumps, in-line homogenisers, conveyors, bulk materials transfer and materials handling equipment, and storage facilities. Common mixer types include ribbon and vertical screw mixers/conveyors
Mixes can include concentrated pre-mixes, pastes and cocktails, and bulk mixes/blends. Materials may include bulk and non-bulk ingredients and additives
Where this unit applies to preparation of dough, related processes may include extruding, stamping and cutting. Where this unit applies to cake and confectionery mix preparation, related processes may include aeration
Ingredient addition may involve operation of automatic materials transfer equipment, dosing equipment and/or be manually loaded
Operation of equipment and processes may require the use of process control panels and systems
Services are appropriate to the process to be operated. Typical examples include power, steam, fuel, vacuum, and compressed and instrumentation air
Operators carry out changeovers within workplace arrangements and the relevant changeover procedures should be used to customise the details of this unit. Where more detailed changeovers are carried out, also refer to
Shutdown procedures may include cleaning. In some cases cleaning may be carried out by a dedicated cleaning crew

Ability to:
Access workplace information to identify mixing/blending requirements
Select, fit and use personal protective clothing and/or equipment
Confirm supply of necessary materials and services
Conduct pre-start checks. This may involve inspecting equipment condition to identify any signs of wear; selecting appropriate settings and/or related parameters, cancelling isolation or lockouts as required; and confirming that equipment is clean and correctly configured for processing requirements, sensors and controls are correctly positioned, any scheduled maintenance has been carried out and that all safety guards are in place and operational
Add/load materials in correct quantities and sequence. This may involve monitoring automatic ingredient addition and/or manual addition
Start, monitor and adjust mixing/blending process equipment as required to achieve required outcomes. This may include monitoring flow rates/quantity, time/temperature and mix/blending settings. It also includes monitoring control points and conducting inspections as required to confirm process remains within specification
Monitor supply and flow of ingredients and additives to and from the mixing/blending process
Pace mixing/blending to meet production requirements
Take corrective action in response to out-of-specification results
Respond to and/or report equipment failure within level of responsibility
Locate emergency stop functions on equipment
Follow isolation and lock out/tag out procedures as required to take process and related equipment off-line in preparation for cleaning and/or maintenance within level of responsibility
Complete workplace records as required
Demonstrate batch/product changeovers
Maintain work area to meet housekeeping standards

May include ability to:

Use process control systems
Collect samples and conduct tests
Label and store pre-mixes and/or mixes
Conduct routine maintenance
Clean and sanitize equipment

Knowledge of:
Purpose and basic principles of preparing mixes and blends. This includes an understanding of the characteristics and basic function of ingredients and additives used, and method and sequence of ingredient addition required to achieve required blend characteristics. It may also include an understanding of the purpose of conditioning, maturation or holding stages required prior to further processing of the mix
Basic understanding of specific gravity and bulk density as appropriate for ingredients used
Basic operating principles of mixing/blending equipment. This may include an operational understanding of main equipment components, status and purpose of guards; equipment operating capacities and applications; the purpose and location of sensors and related feedback instrumentation; and awareness of calibration schedules for scales and related weighing/measuring equipment. It also includes knowledge of services required and action to take if services are not available
The flow of the mixing process and the effect of mix preparation on downstream processes
Procedures for requisitioning, receiving and returning ingredients from stores
Ingredient handling requirements and shelf-life/coding
Quality characteristics required of ingredients and additives and their effect on mixing process performance. This may include methods used to condition or prepare ingredients prior to addition
Methods used to monitor the blending/mixing process. This may include inspecting, measuring, and testing as required by the process. It requires awareness of inspection or test points (control points) in the process and the related procedures and recording requirements. Monitoring may include
flow rates
ingredient/additive addition sequence
times/temperatures and agitator speeds
required characteristics of blend - typical requirements may include viscosity, appearance and temperature
Required attributes of the mixed/blended output. This may include a basic understanding of chemical, texture and flavour profiles as required
The effect of the mixing/blending parameters such as temperature and length of mix time on mixing outcome
Contamination/food safety risks associated with the process and related control measures. This includes an awareness of product compatibility and cross contamination risks and associated cleaning requirements. It may also include a knowledge of any common allergens used in mixes prepared
Operating requirements and parameters and corrective action required where operation is outside specified operating parameters
Typical equipment faults and related causes. This includes recognition of signs and symptoms of faulty equipment and early warning signs of potential problems
Common causes of variation and corrective action required
OHS hazards and controls
Requirements of different shutdowns as appropriate to the blending/mixing process and workplace production requirements. This includes emergency and routine shutdowns and procedures to follow in the event of a power outage
Product/process changeover procedures and responsibilities
Isolation, lock out and tag out procedures and responsibilities
Procedures and responsibility for reporting production and performance information
Environmental issues and controls relevant to the mixing/blending process. This includes waste/rework collection and handling procedures related to the process

May include knowledge of:

Basic operating principles of process control where relevant. This includes the relationship between control panels and systems and the physical equipment
An understanding of characteristics of solutions, suspensions and emulsions
Sampling and testing associated with process monitoring and control
Product labelling and storage requirements
Routine maintenance procedures
Cleaning and sanitation procedures

Relationship with other standards
Pre-requisite units
There are no pre-requisite units for this competency standard.
Co-assessment of related units

This unit should be assessed together with core units and other units of competence relevant to the function or work role. In addition, the following optional or ancillary units may be relevant:

FDFZPRCI2A Operate a process control interface
FDFOPTISP2A Implement sampling procedures
PMLTEST300A Perform basic tests
FDFOPTCRM2A Conduct routine maintenance
FDFZCSCS2A Clean and sanitize equipment
FDFZCSCIP2A Clean equipment in place

Resources required for assessment

Assessment must occur in a real or simulated workplace where the assessee has access to:

Personal protective clothing and equipment
Work procedures including advice on safe work practices, food safety, quality and environmental requirements, stock flow systems, production schedules, batch/recipe instructions
Information on equipment capacity and operating parameters
Production schedule/batch/recipe instructions
Specifications, control points and processing parameters
Mixing/blending process equipment, services and related storage facilities as required
Ingredients and additives required for the mixing/blending process
Sampling schedules and test procedures and equipment as required
Cleaning procedures, materials and equipment as required

Assessment requirements
For information on how to assess this competency standard and who can assess, refer to the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.