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 2252 Biological safety cabinets
AS ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
AS/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set
AS/NZS 2982.1:1997 Laboratory design and construction - General requirements
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
AS/NZS ISO 9000 Set:2008 Quality management systems set
AS 2830.1 Good laboratory practice - Chemical analysis
AS 2162.1 General - Volumetric glassware
AS 2134.1 Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy
ISO/IEC Guide 98-3:2008 Uncertainty of measurement - Part 3 Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM)
Eurachem/CITAC Guide CG4 Quantifying uncertainty in analytical measurement
use of specific standards such as:
Association of Analytical Communities International (AOAC International) Official Methods of Analysis
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)
Australian code of good manufacturing practice for medicinal products (GMP)
calibration and maintenance schedules
cleaning, hygiene and personal hygiene requirements
data quality procedures
enterprise procedures, SOPs and operating manuals
enterprise recording and reporting procedures
equipment startup, operation and shutdown procedures
incident and accident/injury reports
material safety data sheets (MSDS)
material, production and product specifications
national measurement regulations and guidelines
principles of GLP
production and laboratory schedules
quality manuals, equipment and procedure manuals
quality system and continued improvement processes
safety requirements for equipment, materials or products
sampling procedures (labelling, preparation, storage, transport and disposal)
schematics, work flows and laboratory layouts
statutory and enterprise OHS requirements
stock records and inventory
test procedures (validated and authorised)
training program contents
waste minimisation, containment, processing and disposal procedures
Test requirements
Test requirements may include:
specification of concentration and limits of analytes
time and cost limitations
Sample preparation
Sample preparation may include:
identification of any hazards associated with the samples and/or analytical chemicals
grinding, mulling, preparation of disks, digestion, dissolving, ashing, refluxing, extraction, filtration, evaporation, flocculation, precipitation, washing, drying and centrifugation
solid-phase micro-extraction
determination of, and if appropriate, removal of any contaminants or impurities
ultra-trace procedures requiring high purity solvents, clean rooms, ultra clean glassware and specialised glassware
Quantification techniques
Quantification techniques may include:
matrix matched standards
standard additions
international standards
Analytical techniques
Analytical techniques may include:
spectrometric techniques, such as inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS)
chromatographic techniques, such as gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), ion chromatography (IC)
electrometric techniques, such as ion selective electrodes, voltammetry (polarography) and anodic stripping voltammetry
electrophoretic techniques, such as capillary electrophoresis
Typical analytes and samples requiring complex tests
Typical analytes and samples requiring complex tests may involve:
contaminants in food, such as heavy metals and afflotoxins
trace level (microgram and nanogram/litre) analytes
forensic testing, drug testing in body tissues and fluids
multiple analytes, such as organochlorins and polyaromatic hydrocarbons
environmental contaminants in water, soil and air (such as pesticides)
sludge, waste water and sewage
samples with matrix interferences
Validation checks
Validation checks may include:
recovery checks
use of standard/certified samples
Common analytical procedure and equipment problems
Common analytical procedure and equipment problems may include:
matrix interference
spectral interference
problems associated with the physical state of the analyte, such as blockages and viscosity changing flow rates to instruments
Hazards
Hazards may include:
electric shock
biohazards:
microbiological organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products, and human or animal tissue and fluids
mycotoxins
chemicals:
acids (e.g. sulphuric, perchloric and hydrofluoric)
heavy metals and pesticides
anions (e.g. fluoride)
hydrocarbons )e.g. mono-aromatics)
radiation (nuclear, lasers and ultraviolet (UV))
sharps and broken glassware
aerosols from broken centrifuge tubes and pipetting
flammable liquids and gases
cryogenics, such as dry ice and liquid nitrogen
fluids under pressure, such as hydrogen in gas liquid chromatography, acetylene in atomic absorption spectrometry
sources of ignition
high temperature ashing processes
disturbance or interruption of services
Addressing hazards
Addressing hazards may include:
MSDS
labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials
use of personal protective equipment, such as gloves, safety glasses and coveralls
use of fumehoods and direct extraction of vapours and gases
use of appropriate equipment, such as biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets
handling and storage of all hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labelling, MSDS and manufacturer's instructions
minimising exposure to radiation ionising, such as lasers, electromagnetic and UV radiation
Tests for completeness of sample preparation
Tests for completeness of sample preparation may include:
visual inspection for colour and solids
odour
pH and conductivity
chemical tests for interferents, such as precipitation and colour forming
basic screening instrumental tests, such as IR, ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) and gas chromatography
Modifiers
Modifiers may include:
ionisation suppressants, such as Caesium for Ca, Na, K in atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS)
ionic strength and pH buffers, such as TISAB for fluoride in ion-selective electrode (ISE)
releasing agents, such as Lanthanum and Strontium for Ca in AAS
volatility suppressants, such as phosphate for Pb in electrothermal AAS
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:
interpret client request, test methods and procedures accurately
safely set up, start up and shut down equipment using enterprise procedures
check calibration/qualification status of equipment
prepare samples and standards appropriately
optimise procedures and equipment to suit sample/test requirements
maintain close attention to measurement procedures, accuracy and precision during lengthy complex tests
calculate analyte concentrations with appropriate accuracy, precision and units
recognise atypical data/results
troubleshoot common analytical procedure and equipment problems
record and reports data/results using enterprise procedures
maintain security, integrity and traceability of samples and documentation
follow OHS procedures and principles of GLP.

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:
MSL925001A Analyse data and report results.
Resources may include:
standard laboratory with appropriate analytical instruments, laboratory reagents and equipment
SOPs and test methods.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of test data/results obtained by the candidate over time to ensure accuracy, consistency and timeliness of results
inspection of test records and workplace documentation completed by the candidate
observation of candidate conducting a range of complex tests to measure chemical properties of materials
feedback from clients, peers and supervisors
oral or written questioning of relevant chemical principles, concepts, analytical techniques and enterprise procedures.
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 study below to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and to show its relevance in a workplace setting.
Environmental
The analysis of a soil sample for nutrient profiles requires a complex procedure for simplifying the soil matrix and then performing multiple analyses on the sample in order to obtain data on both macro and micro soil nutrients. To determine the chemical suitability of a particular soil for agricultural activity, a detailed analysis is required of macro-nutrients, such as nitrate, phosphate and potassium as well as micro-nutrients, such as metals (including copper (Cu), selenium (Se)molybdenum (Mo), iron (Fe) and sulphate.
A technician is given a composite soil sample from a client and uses the standard techniques of riffling and coning and quartering to obtain representative sub-samples for laboratory analysis. The technician then removes the soil matrix by one of several methods depending on the type of nutrient analysis being performed.
For soil micro-nutrients, such as trace metals, they dry the sample (to remove moisture and obtain the dry weight), then wet ash it with concentrated sulphuric acid (to remove carbonaceous components), and finally resuspend it in dilute nitric acid. Once the technician is satisfied that the matrix has been simplified sufficiently, they then use an inductively coupled plasma spectrophotometer to ascertain the concentration of trace metals in the soil.
The analysis for macro-nutrients, such as phosphate, is performed in several ways due to the enormously variable processes involved in weathering of parent material into soil. One common macro-nutrient test is for leachable phosphate, which involves extraction of labile phosphate from the soil matrix. In this case, the technician uses the Olsen method. They remove the analyte from the complex soil matrix by extracting it with hydrogen carbonate solution and quantify the liberated analyte using visible spectrophotometry.