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 1199 Sampling procedures and tables for inspection by attributes
AS 1678 Emergency procedure guide -Transport
AS 1940-2004 Storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids
AS 3780-2008 The storage and handling of corrosive substances
AS 4433.2-1997 Guide to the sampling of particulate materials - Preparation of samples
AS/NZS 4452:1997 The storage and handling of toxic substances
American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) Approved Methods of Analysis
Australian Dangerous Goods Code
enterprise and/or client sampling schemes and sampling plans
enterprise recording and reporting procedures
gene technology regulations
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
methods and procedures which may be written to meet enterprise, client and/or regulatory/certifying body requirements
National Code of Practice for the labelling of workplace substances [NOHSC:2012 (1994)]
site plans, maps and specifications
Basic principles of sampling
Basic principles of sampling include:
representative samples
preservation of integrity of samples
maintaining identification of samples relative to their source, enterprise and legal traceability
cost-effectiveness of sampling
consistency of sampling procedures
sampling principles, including random, systematic and stratified sampling
Materials sampled
Materials sampled may include:
gas or air samples
liquid samples, such as water, groundwater, waste water, stormwater, sludges and sewage
solid samples, such as soil, sediments, rocks, concrete, quarry and mining material
solid wastes
raw materials, start, middle, end of production run samples, final products and materials used in production processes, such as flocculants
plants
animals
microbiological samples
Types of samples
Types of samples may include:
grab samples
composite samples
quality control samples
research or one-off samples
environmental or survey samples
Sampling tools and equipment
Sampling tools and equipment may include:
shovels, augers and chain saws
sampling frames, sampling tubes, dip tubes, spears, flexible bladders and syringes
front-end loader, backhoe, excavator and drill rig
sample bottles or containers, plastic containers and disposable buckets
access valves
sample thief
auto samplers
pumps and stainless steel bailers
traps and cages
sterile containers, pipettes, inoculating loops and disposable spoons
Maintenance of integrity of samples
Maintenance of integrity of samples may include:
use of compatible container, such as glass, plastic, amber and opaque bottles
use of appropriate preservatives, such as sodium azide, toluene or antibiotics
decontamination of sampling tools between collection of consecutive samples
wrapping container in foil
purging of sample lines and boxes
handling and transport to avoid disturbance or damage
temperature control which may involve insulation of sample without direct contact with the coolant
wrapping in wet newspaper, cloth, sand or sawdust
transfer of sterile sample into sterile container
monitoring of storage conditions
Site and sampling hazards
Site and sampling hazards may include:
solar radiation, dust and noise
wildlife, such as snakes, spiders and domestic animals
biohazards, such as micro-organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products, and human or animal tissue and fluids
chemicals, such as acids and hydrocarbons
aerosols
sharps and broken glassware
manual handling of heavy sample bags and containers
crushing, entanglement and cuts associated with moving machinery and hand tools
vehicular and pedestrian traffic
Safety procedures
Safety procedures may include:
use of MSDS
use of personal protective equipment, such as hard hats, hearing protection, gloves, safety glasses, goggles, face guards, coveralls, gowns, body suits, respirators and safety boots
use of biohazard containers and laminar flow cabinets
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 equipment and work areas
machinery guards
signage, barriers, service isolation tags, traffic control and flashing lights
lockout and tag-out procedures
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:
collect the specified quantity of sample to enable all processing and testing to occur and back-up samples to be stored
obtain a sample that is representative of the bulk material
preserve the integrity of samples by closely adhering to procedures
label samples and sub-samples to satisfy enterprise/legal traceability requirements
identify atypical materials and samples and take appropriate action
maintain sampling equipment in appropriate condition
complete sampling records using enterprise procedures
follow safety regulations and enterprise OHS procedures during sampling, transport and storage
follow relevant legislative requirements for the disposal of waste and the preservation of the environment.

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:
MSL924001A Process and interpret data
MSL943002A Participate in laboratory/field workplace safety
relevant MSAL974000 series units of competency
relevant MSAL975000 series units of competency relevant to the sampling.
Resources may include:
variety of sample types
sampling plans
a selection of sampling containers and sampling equipment.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
inspection of samples collected by the candidate
review of sampling documentation completed by the candidate
feedback from peers, customers and supervisors that sampling plans were followed
questioning to assess underpinning knowledge of representative sampling procedures
observation of the candidate taking a range of samples.
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 metallurgical laboratory technician is very familiar with preparing representative samples for a range of final products in a steelmaking plant. One day, he/she is asked to sample a 50 tonne small-particle coal delivery which is believed to have a higher than acceptable sulphur content. Having never prepared representative samples for such a large quantity of material, the technician consulted their supervisor and developed an appropriate sampling plan. The technician arranged for the operator of a small front-end loader to take buckets of coal from five equally spaced points around the pile. The resulting material was then combined and mixed in one heap. The technician coned and quartered the heap enough times to obtain a representative sample of about 5kg. He/she arranged for the unwanted material to be returned to the stockpile. On return to the laboratory, the technician crushed the sample and repeatedly coned and quartered the material to obtain an analytical portion.
Environmental
A field technician trained in sampling natural water systems is asked to sample a bright yellow industrial wastewater discharge into a small creek. The relevant sampling plan specifies that the samples should be collected where the waste water is well mixed near the centre of the creek and at the mid-depth point. The technician also notes that the samples must be collected where turbulence is at a maximum so that the settling of solids is minimal. On arrival at the site, the technician locates where the wastewater is entering the creek. He/she moves downstream to where the waste water and creek water is well mixed and there is little apparent loss of the yellow suspended solids. The technician dons the required personal protective equipment and uses a convenient bridge to collect a set of six samples and duplicates over a half-hour period using the equipment and procedures specified in the sampling plan. Using a field notebook, the technician records all information specified in the laboratory's chain of custody requirements and safety plan for handling potentially hazardous industrial waste.