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.
OHS requirements:
are to be in line with applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation and regulations, and organisational safety policies and procedures, and may include:
personal protective equipment and clothing
safety equipment
first aid equipment
fire fighting equipment
hazard identification and risk control
fatigue management
elimination of hazardous materials and substances
knowledge of biohazards applicable to drying timber in solar kilns
manual handling including shifting, lifting and carrying
kiln entry requirements
Environmental requirements may include:
legislation
organisational policies and procedures
workplace practices
Legislative requirements:
are to be in line with applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation, regulations, certification requirements and codes of practice and may include:
award and enterprise agreements
industrial relations
Australian Standards
confidentiality and privacy
OHS
the environment
equal opportunity
anti-discrimination
relevant industry codes of practice
duty of care
Organisational requirements may include:
legal
organisational and site guidelines
policies and procedures relating to own role and responsibility
sustainability certification schemes
procedural manuals
quality and continuous improvement processes and standards
OHS, emergency and evacuation procedures
ethical standards
recording and reporting requirements
equipment use and maintenance and storage requirements
environmental management requirements (waste minimisation and disposal, recycling and re-use guidelines)
Timber may include:
native timber species
imported timber species
preservative treated timber
Work order is to include:
instructions for the drying of timber
and may include:
species
colour
type
width
length
thickness
quantity
target moisture content
instructions for the environmental monitoring of work and procedures
environmental care requirements relevant to the work
Appropriate personnel may include:
supervisors
suppliers
clients
colleagues
managers
Drying
is the process of removing water from timber whilst minimising degrade until it reaches a target moisture content suitable for intended use
Conversion process may include:
sawing process
yard storage
shed or other kiln storage
delivery of material to the kiln site
Racks
are packets of timber with racking sticks between each row of boards to facilitate evaporation of water from the timber
Visual assessment is to include:
the assessment of materials to determine stacking quality and faults
and may include:
stability
squareness of ends
spacing of strips
support to minimise warping
Equipment must include:
solar assisted kilns
procedures for equipment lock-out and safe entry, i.e. protecting operators and co-workers from accidental injury by isolating the machinery from the power source
and may include:
supplementary heat plant
forklift or loader
traverser and trolley
Sample Boards
are boards selected to be used to monitor moisture loss during the drying process
Moisture content
is the amount of moisture in timber at any given time
and must include:
assessment via capacitance, resistance and oven-dry methods
Drying plan
is the anticipated process the timber will undergo to remove moisture to target moisture content and may include:
air drying
sheltered air drying
pre-drying
reconditioning
high humidity treatments
final kiln drying
equalising
conditioning
Communication may include:
verbal and non-verbal language
constructive feedback
active listening
questioning to clarify and confirm understanding
use of positive, confident and cooperative language
electronic alarm, alert and notification systems associated with the kiln control software
Pre start-up checks
are conducted to ensure equipment has been set-up correctly, the systems are performing accurately and equipment is operating to optimum performance
Emergency shutdown
is the immediate shutting off of the equipment to prevent an accident or prevent damage to the machine or product
Kiln
See equipment
Baffles and/or blankets
are to assist in the drying process by directing air flow
Drying schedule
is the drying set points based on moisture content, moisture loss or time
Drying degrade may include:
surface checks
internal checks
end splits
collapse
excessive distortion
bow
spring
twist
cup
case Hardening
Drying end point
is the point in time when the drying process will be completed and the target moisture content achieved
Target moisture content
is the moisture content the kiln operator is trying to obtain from any given batch of timber
Drying stresses
are stress levels that develop through the drying process likely to affect timber performance in service
Rectified
refers to the amelioration of excessive drying stresses and may include:
high humidity treatments
conditioning
re-drying
letting timber equalise
Sub-standard material
See drying degrade
Disposal may include:
processing to a lower grade of product
recovery of heat value
recovery as ungraded product
Moisture probes
are probes pierced into representative boards which
provide moisture readings to assist in monitoring the
drying schedule
and may include
resistance or electromagnetic property probes
Movement of material may include:
the use of:
conveyor belt systems
track systems or lifting equipment
lifting equipment may include:
fork lifts
slings
trolley jacks
gantry cranes and loaders
cross transfer trucks
assistance with lifting may include the involvement of two or more personnel to lift materials manually or to guide the movement of mechanical equipment
Storage may include:
the use of:
storage racks
storage bays
stacks
modularised storage components
temporary stacking bays (stand, frame or ground)
and may be divided into:
standard product classification
product designation
size, dimension
stack number
weight
grade
shelf life
stock rotation position
Cleaning
sweeping
removing debris
removing rust build up
Records and reports may include:
moisture content achieved
drying schedule used
product type
size
inspection
grading and labelling outcomes
storage locations
quality outcomes
hazards
incidents or equipment malfunctions
and may be:
manual
using a computer-based system or another appropriate organisational communication system

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
A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence that they can safely and efficiently dry timber in solar assisted kilns to appropriate moisture contents and stress levels whilst keeping degrade to a minimum
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all of the requirements of the elements of this unit and include demonstration of:
following applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislative and regulatory requirements and codes of practice relevant to drying timber in solar assisted kilns
following organisational policies and procedures relevant to drying timber in solar assisted kilns
consistently achieving target end moisture contents with acceptable levels of drying degrade
selecting appropriate timber drying schedules for a range of species and products
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Competency is to be assessed in the workplace or realistically simulated workplace
Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints
Assessment of required knowledge, other than confirmatory questions, will usually be conducted in an off-site context
Assessment is to comply with relevant regulatory or Australian Standards requirements
The following resources should be made available:
workplace location or simulated workplace
materials and equipment relevant to undertaking work applicable to this unit
specifications and work instructions
Method of assessment
Assessment must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the FPI11 Training Package
Assessment methods must confirm consistency and accuracy of performance (over time and in a range of workplace relevant contexts) together with application of required knowledge
Assessment may be by direct observation of tasks, with questioning on required knowledge and it must also reinforce the integration of employability skills
Assessment methods must confirm the ability to access and correctly interpret and apply the required knowledge
Assessment may be applied under project-related conditions (real or simulated) and require evidence of process
Assessment must confirm a reasonable inference that competency is able not only to be satisfied under the particular circumstance, but is able to be transferred to other circumstances
Assessment may be in conjunction with assessment of other units of competency
The assessment environment should not disadvantage the candidate
Assessment practices should take into account any relevant language or cultural issues related to Aboriginality, gender or language backgrounds other than English
Where the participant has a disability, reasonable adjustment may be applied during assessment
Language and literacy demands of the assessment task should not be higher than those of the work role