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 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:
Australia New Zealand Food Standards (ANZFS) Code
food safety plans and/or pharmaceutical safety requirements
HACCP plans/documents/procedures
principles of good laboratory practice (GLP)
Australian code of good manufacturing practice for medicinal products (GMP)
product safety plan
production/quality procedures/requirements
quality manuals
standard operating procedures (SOPs)
state/territory/national legislation
Control points
Control points may be:
critical
quality
regulatory
Products/materials handled by laboratory assistants
Products/materials handled by laboratory assistants may include:
raw materials
ingredients
adjuncts/process aids
consumables
finished product
chemicals
food additives
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:
correctly monitor the critical, quality and regulatory control points for their work
prevent contamination from occurring or recurring
collect, record and interpret data and take corrective actions
support continuous improvement through observation and communication.

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
MSL922001A Record and present data
MSL933002A Contribute to the achievement of quality objectives.
Resources may include:
quality manuals and procedures
HACCP plans and records
recording equipment
case studies to illustrate a range of HACCP issues.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
observation of the candidate monitoring control points in the work area
feedback from supervisors and peers
review of corrective action suggestions by the candidate
flow charts or diagrams prepared by the candidate, alternatively, the candidate could explain existing charts or diagrams
candidate's response to simulated problems.
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 show its relevance in a workplace setting.
Food processing
The laboratory is responsible for the monitoring of the complex hazard analysis and critical control points in the food production process. The laboratory assistant gathers data at these points for the recording and checking of the process. All data outside the critical limits are immediately communicated to the laboratory manager and the production manager. Any approved corrective actions undertaken by the laboratory assistant are recorded in the laboratory log of system non-conformance. Suggestions for improvement of the system are also recorded for discussion at the regular team meeting.