Elements and Performance Criteria

Range description
Work is carried out according to company policies and procedures, regulatory and licensing requirements, legislative requirements, and industrial awards and agreements
Legislative requirements are typically reflected in procedures and specifications. Legislation relevant to this industry includes labelling, weights and measures legislation; and legislation covering food safety, environmental management, occupational health and safety, anti-discrimination and equal opportunity. Special product requirements include Halal and Kosher licence
When applied to the pharmaceutical industry, relevant GMP codes apply in place of the Australian Food Standards Code and reference to food safety is replaced by GMP
Workplace information may include Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), specifications, production schedules and instructions, manufacturers' advice, standard forms and reports
This process is typically used for the blending and packaging of low moisture products such as dry flavours and marinades, donut mix, cake mix, bakery ingredients, batters, cheese powders, spice mixes and herb blends. Bag weights typically range from 5kg to 25kg
Equipment typically includes ribbon and vertical blenders, sieves including rotary and shaker sieves, net weighers, gross baggers, sew and crepe machines and heat sealers. The sieving stage may occur before and/or after blending
Ingredients may be delivered to the process using bulk automated materials handling equipment or loaded manually
Operation of equipment and processes may require the use of process control panels and systems
Operators carry out changeovers within workplace arrangements and the relevant changeover procedures should be used to customise the details of this unit. Where more detailed changeovers are carried out, also refer to
Shut down procedures may include cleaning. In some cases cleaning may be carried out by a dedicated cleaning crew
Services may need to be confirmed. These depend on the nature of the process. Typical examples include power, steam, water, vacuum, and compressed and instrumentation air

Ability to:
Access workplace information to identify processing requirements
Select, fit and use personal protective clothing and/or equipment
Confirm supply of necessary packaging components/consumables, materials and services
Conduct pre-start checks. This may involve inspecting equipment condition to identify any signs of wear; selecting appropriate settings and/or related parameters; cancelling isolation or lockouts as required; and confirming that related equipment is clean and correctly configured for processing requirements, sensors and controls are correctly positioned, any scheduled maintenance has been completed, and all safety guards are in place and operational

Start, operate, monitor and adjust process equipment to achieve required outcomes. This may include monitoring control points and conducting inspections as required to confirm process remains within specification. Typical examples include:

characteristics of blend
flow to sieves
sieve/screen condition
supply of packaging components/consumables
integrity of finished seals (stitching or thermal)
Monitor and regulate the supply and flow of materials to and from the process
Take corrective action in response to out-of-specification results
Respond to and/or report equipment failure within level of responsibility
Locate emergency stop functions on equipment
Follow isolation and lock out/tag out procedures as required to take process and related equipment off-line in preparation for cleaning and/or maintenance within level of responsibility
Demonstrate batch/product changeovers
Complete workplace records as required
Maintain work area to meet housekeeping standards

May include ability to:

Use process control systems
Collect samples and conduct tests
Clean and sanitize equipment

Knowledge of:
Purpose and basic principles of the process. This includes an understanding of the method and sequence of ingredient addition required to achieve required blend characteristics. It also includes an understanding of the purpose of packaging and properties required of packaging materials used, coding requirements and related legal requirements including product weight
Basic operating principles of equipment. This may include an operational understanding of main equipment components; status and purpose of guards; equipment operating capacities and applications; and the purpose and location of sensors and related feedback instrumentation. It also includes knowledge of services required and action to take if services are not available
The flow of this process and the effect of outputs on downstream processes
Quality characteristics required of process outputs. This may include an understanding of blend quality, packaging quality and seal integrity as required
Effect of variation in inputs, which may include ingredient quality/condition, packaging components/consumables and/or services, on process performance
Operating requirements and parameters and corrective action required where operation is outside specified operating parameters
Typical equipment faults and related causes. This includes recognition of signs and symptoms of faulty equipment and early warning signs of potential problems such as sieve or screen damage
Methods used to monitor the process. This may include monitoring blend characteristics and weights. It requires awareness of inspection or test points (control points) in the process and the related procedures and recording requirements
Contamination/food safety risks associated with the process and related control measures. This includes an awareness of product compatibility, cross contamination risks and associated cleaning requirements
Common causes of variation and corrective action required. This requires an understanding of procedures to manage the reprocessing (return to blend) of the first part of the blend to minimise non-conforming output
OHS hazards and controls
Requirements of different shutdowns as appropriate to the process and workplace production/packaging requirements. This includes emergency and routine shutdowns and procedures to follow in the event of a power outage
Product/batch changeover procedures and responsibilities
Isolation, lock out and tag out procedures and responsibilities
Procedures and responsibility for reporting production and performance information
Environmental issues and controls relevant to the process. This includes waste/rework collection and handling procedures related to the process

May include knowledge of:

Basic operating principles of process control where relevant. This includes the relationship between control panels and systems and the physical equipment
Sampling and testing associated with process monitoring and control
Cleaning and sanitizing procedures

Relationship with other standards
Pre-requisite units
There are no pre-requisite units for this competency standard.
Co-assessment of related units

This unit should be assessed together with core units and other units of competence relevant to the function or work role. In addition, the following optional or ancillary units may be relevant:

FDFZPRCI2A Operate a process control interface
FDFOPTISP2A Implement sampling procedures
PMLTEST300A Perform basic tests
FDFOPTCRM2A Conduct routine maintenance
FDFZCSCS2A Clean and sanitize equipment

Resources required for assessment

Assessment must occur in a real or simulated workplace where the assessee has access to:

Personal protective clothing and equipment
Work procedures including advice on safe work practices, food safety, quality and environmental requirements
Information on equipment capacity and operating parameters
Production schedule/batch instructions
Specifications, control points and operating parameters
Blending, sieving and bagging equipment and services
Materials to be processed and packaging components/consumables as required
Sampling schedules and test procedures and equipment as required
Documentation and recording requirements and procedures
Cleaning procedures, materials and equipment as required

Assessment requirements
For information on how to assess this competency standard and who can assess, refer to the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.