Elements and Performance Criteria

Where reference is made to industry codes of practice, and/or Australian/international standards, the latest version must be used.


Separation equipment covered by this competency includes all types of powered separation equipment for gaseous, liquid and solids separation duties, such as:

centrifuges

rotary dryers

rotary vacuum filters.


This competency covers electric motor drivers; however, other types of drivers may be included.

Typical problems include:

seal/gasket leaks

pressure loss/low flow

blockages/build-up

erosion/wear

separator driver problems.


The operator is required to monitor critical variables such as amps, temperature and vibration as well monitoring the output from the separation equipment.


Remedial actions could include:

making adjustments to the equipment (flow, pressure, etc)

carrying out minor maintenance within operator's skill level

identifying and reporting problems outside operator's scope of ability

identifying and controlling hazards related to powered separation equipment and surrounding areas.


Start up shut down as required includes:

start up and shut down to/from normal operating conditions

start up and shut down to/from isolated, cold, empty

all other conditions experienced on the plant.

ie from any condition to any condition experienced on the plant.


Appropriate action includes:

determining problems needing action

determining possible fault causes

rectifying problem using appropriate solution within area of responsibility

following through items initiated until final resolution has occurred

reporting problems outside area of responsibility to designated person.


Procedures may be written, verbal, computer-based or in some other form. They include:

all work instructions

standard operating procedures

formulas/recipes

batch sheets

temporary instructions

any similar instructions provided for the smooth running of the plant.

For the purposes of this Training Package, 'procedures' also includes good operating practice as may be defined by industry codes of practice (eg Responsible Care) and government regulations.


All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environment 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.

Overview of assessment
Assessment of this unit should include demonstrated competence on actual plant and equipment in a work environment. The unit will be assessed in as holistic a manner as is practical and may be integrated with the assessment of other relevant units of competency. Assessment will occur over a range of situations which will include disruptions to normal, smooth operation.
Simulation may be required to allow for assessment of parts of this unit. Simulation should be based on the actual plant and will include walk-throughs of the relevant competency components. Simulations may also include the use of case studies/scenarios and role plays.
This unit of competency requires a significant body of knowledge which will be assessed through questioning and the use of what-if scenarios both on the plant (during demonstration of normal operations and walk throughs of abnormal operations) and off the plant.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Competence must be demonstrated in the ability to recognise and analyse potential situations requiring action and then in implementing appropriate corrective action. The emphasis should be on the ability to stay out of trouble rather than on recovery from a disaster.
Consistent performance should be demonstrated. In particular look to see that:
early warning signs of equipment/processes needing attention or with potential problems are recognised
the range of possible causes can be identified and analysed and the most likely cause determined
appropriate action is taken to ensure a timely return to full performance
obvious problems in related plant areas are recognised and an appropriate contribution made to their solution.
These aspects may be best assessed using a range of scenarios/case studies/what-ifs as the stimulus with a walk-through forming part of the response. These assessment activities should include a range of problems, including new, unusual and improbable situations which may have been generated from the past incident history of the plant, incidents on similar plants around the world, hazard analysis activities and similar sources.

Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment will require access to an operating plant over an extended period of time, or a suitable method of gathering evidence of operating ability over a range of situations. A bank of scenarios/case studies/what-ifs will be required as will a bank of questions which will be used to probe the reasoning behind the observable actions.

Method of assessment
In all plants it may be appropriate to assess this unit concurrently with relevant teamwork and communication units. For many plants, it might be appropriate for this unit to be assessed with units covering:
fluid flow
communication.
In a major hazard facility, it may be appropriate to assess this unit concurrently with:

Guidance information for assessment
Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate and appropriate to the oracy, language and literacy capacity of the assessee and the work being performed.