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
Information sources
Information sources may include:
Australian and international standards, such as:
AS/NZS ISO 9000 Set:2008 Quality management systems set
data format and management standards (e.g. National Pathology Accreditation Advisory Council's Laboratory Assessment Checklist: Computer Services Section and Analytical Data Interchange Protocols)
environment, safety and emergency procedures
hardware interface standards (e.g. EIA RS232, IEEE 488 or IEEE 1394)
maintenance agreements with suppliers
national and international standards covering hardware and software
National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) Accreditation programs requirements
operation manuals for computer ware, laboratory instruments and field equipment
safe operation requirements for computers and equipment used
specifications of laboratory instruments and field equipment
specifications of laboratory instruments and field equipment
Equipment, materials and systems
Equipment, materials and systems may include:
suitable scientific equipment and instruments
array of sensors and transducers
data acquisition and digital communication interfacing modules
simple troubleshooting equipment (multimeter and breakout boxes)
protocol analysis tools (software or hardware)
turnkey and programmable data acquisition and control software
temperature, pressure, light displacement and stress sensors
representative laboratory and field equipment (e.g. pH meters, balances, spectrometers or data loggers)
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 relevant information from manuals, specification sheets, diagnostic equipment and software
construct and correctly route interconnections
implement successful data transfer
manage data transfer
document operational procedures and implementation details
troubleshoot exiting data collection and communication between laboratory processes and computer systems
capture data from non-automated laboratory processes
interconnect laboratory and/or field equipment with computers using both serial and parallel digital communication
integrate laboratory workstations into networked laboratory computer systems
program and interrogate stand alone monitoring equipment.

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:
MSL977004A Develop or adapt analyses and procedures.
Resources may include:
workplace documents, such as manuals, specification sheets, laboratory notebooks and SOPs
relevant equipment and components, including computer network, suitable instruments and equipment, specimens and samples
equipment generated data.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
integrated assessment based on a real or stimulated case study, for example:
establish successful data acquisition (sensor selection, acquisition module installation and configuration, suitable signal conditioning and representative analog to digital conversion)
troubleshooting defective data capture (covering problems, such as resolution and noise)
establish successful two-way communication between laboratory or field equipment and a laboratory computer network
troubleshoot defective digital communications (incorrect protocol parameters, incorrect hardware configuration)
oral and written questions associated with electronic data capture, digital communications and associated documentation and standards
feedback from peers and/or supervisors to confirm that workplace practices and procedures are consistently followed and that the results meet workplace requirements.
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 manufacturing plant was monitoring wastewater before discharging it from its treatment plant. A multi-probe capable of monitoring up to fifteen parameters, such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity and redox potential was purchased to streamline the monitoring process. The technical specialist checked the documentation accompanying the probe. The documentation indicated that it was compatible with a variety of RS-232, RS-485, RS-422 and SDI-12 data-handling devices. After attaching the probe to the computer system using HyperTerminal in Windows, the 'Connect' and 'Direct to COM port' commands were selected to connect the multi-probe to the computer. The test data was received by the computer and saved and analysed using appropriate data analysis programs.
Biomedical
A senior technical officer works for a pathology laboratory that has just installed a new laboratory information management system (LIMS). As part of the purchase contract the LIMS vendor interfaced all currently operational automated equipment. The laboratory has an older electrolyte analyser, which it uses as a back-up unit. It has had frequent use lately. Because of the unit's age, the technical manuals have been misplaced. The officer has been asked to see if the old unit can be interfaced to the new LIMS to save on manual transcription. The analyser uses a serial interface, which appears to comply with RS-232. By inspection of the connectors and from knowledge of the RS-232 standard, the officer determines the analyser should be configured as for data terminal equipment (DTE). The officer then constructs a suitable cable and physically connects the analyser to a PC workstation. Using a simple terminal emulation program, the officer determines the correct communication parameters and basic commands to upload the results to the PC. Using the LIMS open database connectivity capability and a graphical programming language, such as Labview, the officer semi-automates data transfer from the analyser to the PC then to the LIMS. The report on the success of the interconnect prompts management to contract a professional programmer to fully automate the interface in liaison with the officer.