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.
Appropriate documentation
Where reference is made to documentation, it is expected the latest version will be used.
Appropriate documentation may include:
reference standards
Certificates of Verification
measuring instrument Certificates of Approval
test procedures for inspecting pre-packaged products and measuring instruments
organisational test reports
organisational procedures e.g. company quality assurance manual
National Measurement Act
occupational health and safety (OHS) regulations, guidelines and procedures material safety data sheets
equipment manuals and warranty, supplier catalogues and handbooks
Certificates of Approval
Certificates of Approval may include:
any Certificate issued by the Chief Metrologist under Regulation 60 of the National Measurement Regulations approving the pattern of a measuring instrument as being suitable for trade
Enforcement action
Enforcement action may include:
formal warnings
infringement notice
formal undertaking
injunction
prosecution
Test equipment
Test equipment may include:
reference standards of measurement
weighing instruments
trolleys
cameras
video and audio recorders
Legislation
Legislation may include:
national measurement legislation
applicable Commonwealth, state and territory OHS legislation
National Measurement Institute policy
National Measurement Institute policy may include:
test procedure variations between a verification, in-service or audit inspection
bulletin
instruction
determination
policy documents
National Test Procedures
National Test Procedures may include:
measuring instrument test procedures
article measurement procedures
any other test procedure prescribed by the National Measurement Institute
OHS and environmental management requirements
OHS and environmental management requirements refer to:
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 and State and Territory Departments of Health
Operating environmental impacts
Operating environmental impacts may include:
vibration
wind
heat
dust
electromagnetic interference
out of level
liquid being measured
Records
Records may include:
test reports
safety procedures
a history of equipment calibration and test results

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
Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard for a wide range of pre-packaged products.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Assessors should ensure that candidates can:
identify, access and apply test procedures
identify and use suitable reference standards
evaluate and adjust the impact of the operating environment on the performance of the instrument
analyse test results to determine the instrument's suitability for verification (trade use)
inspect markings and net contents of pre-packaged articles
identify and implement additional inspection strategies for pre-packaged product related breaches of national measurement legislation
recognise and act on non-compliance
maintain the security and confidentiality of data in accordance with organisational and regulatory requirements
report results in the required formats and expected timeframe.

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:
MSATMINS403AA Inspect a range of trading practices
MSATMINS301A Inspect a range of simple measures
MSATMINS302A Inspect a range of simple measuring instruments
MSATMINS401A Inspect a range of weighing instruments
MSATMINS402A Inspect a range of liquid measuring instruments using volume measures.
Resources may include:
measuring instruments, test equipment and reference standards
computer and relevant software and/or organisation information management system
Certificates of Approval for instruments
relevant legislative and organisational procedures.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
questions to assess understanding of relevant procedures, trader obligations and remedial actions
review of inspection reports prepared by the candidate
feedback from supervisors and peers regarding the candidate's ability to inspect pre-packaged products in accordance with legislative and organisational procedures
observation of the candidate inspecting pre-packaged products.
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. Questioning techniques should suit the language and literacy levels of the candidate.

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.

An inspector is allocated a routine inspection at a factory which packs milk. When reviewing the trader's inspection history, the inspector notices that the trader was issued with an infringement notice 12 months ago for packing 2 L bottles of milk that had an average 4.5% shortfall.On arrival at the premises, the inspector enters the main office and explains the purpose of the visit. While waiting for the site controller to arrive, the inspector assesses the business registration documents on public display and notes they coincide with the pre-inspection documentation he/she retrieved earlier. When the site controller arrives, the inspector explains the purpose of the visit.The site controller provides a site induction and highlights the local workplace health and safety requirements. The inspector then outlines an inspection strategy that will minimise disruption to the trader and suppliers and satisfy the factory's health and hygiene requirements.
The inspector collects the necessary equipment and documentation from his/her vehicle and validates the test equipment before proceeding with the inspection. Given the trader's history, he/she selects an inspection lot of 12 pre-packaged 2 L bottles of milk. On close examination, the inspector finds that the measurement and packer identification markings on this product do not comply with legislative requirements because the 2 L print height is too small.He/she then measures the volume of milk in each bottle and finds an average shortfall of 75 ml or 3.75%. The inspector conducts a detailed investigation of the trader's milk packaging process, measuring instruments, measurement procedure, and their methodology and frequency of measurement tests. He/she finds that the milk density used for setting volumetric fillers is incorrect and causing the shortfall.
Before leaving the premises, the inspector informs the site controller of the non-compliances: i.e. packing pre-packaged products with an average shortfall which exceeded the prescribed performance criteria and a measurement marking print height smaller than the prescribed criteria. He/she outlines the resulting enforcement actions and consequences for failing to correct the non-compliances.
On returning to the office, the inspector files his/her notes, test reports and photographs as evidence of the non-compliance and reports the inspection outcomes in accordance with organisational policy and procedures.