Elements and Performance Criteria

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
Legislation, standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements
Legislation, standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements may include:
federal legislation, such as
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Australian Heritage Council Act 2003
Native Title Act 1993
state/territory government legislation and regulations and local government by-laws, policies, and plans dealing with:
land use, acquisition, planning and protection
environmental protection
cultural/heritage protection
vegetation management
nature conservation, wildlife/plant protection
water and water management
soil conservation
pollution and contaminated sites
fisheries, forestry and mining operations
Australian and international standards, such as:
AS ISO 14050:1999 Environmental management - Vocabulary
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Basic Set:2007 Environmental management basic set
ANZECC Core environmental indicators for reporting on the state of the environment
National strategy for the conservation of Australia’s biological diversity
OECD Key environmental indicators
US Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Environmental indicators gateway
national environment protection measures
ANZECC Guidelines for fresh and marine water quality
occupational health and safety (OHS) national standards and codes of practice
site-specific requirements and specific environmental standards
Project activity or process
Project activity or processes will be of a complexity consistent with the role of an environmental officer working under the supervision of an environmental scientist, engineer or planner, and may include contributions to:
environmental studies
environmental impact statements
environmental impact assessments
environmental monitoring programs
Site or locality information
Site or locality information may include:
notice of intention and initial advice statement
environmental impact assessment
environmental impact statement
public environment report
environmental indicators
national environment protection measures
statutory environmental quality concentration limits
data in existing databases, such as vegetation, topography, soils and regional ecosystem maps
geological, hydro geological, ecological and meteorological data for site
environmental management plans for specific site, locality or project
site environmental management procedures and actions for specific issues
site environmental management action checklists
relevant site reports, case studies and good practice models
Site-relevant environmental indicators
Site-relevant environmental indicators may include:
atmospheric indicators, such as:
exceedances of national environment protection measures
air quality standards for gases and particulates
emissions of air pollutants
greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric concentrations
water indicators, such as:
water salinity
exceedences of groundwater and surface water quality guidelines
water extraction versus availability
environmental flows objectives
health of aquatic habitats
wastewater treatment
estuarine and marine water quality
land indicators, such as:
salinity and acidity
potential for erosion
exceedences of maximum residue levels
biodiversity indicators, such as:
threatening processes
loss of biodiversity
biodiversity conservation management
Environmental chemistry principles and concepts
Environmental chemistry principles and concepts may include:
biogeochemical cycles
aquatic chemistry
aquatic microbial biochemistry
water pollution, such as:
trace elements and heavy metals
inorganic pollutants
trace organic pollutants
sewage (e.g. biological oxygen demand (BOD), pathogens and detergents)
chemical carcinogens
sediments
radionuclides
water and wastewater treatment
atmosphere and atmospheric chemistry, such as:
structure and composition
inversions and air pollution
meteorology, weather and climate
atmospheric particulates
inorganic air pollutants, including CO, SOX, NOX, acid rain, ammonia and chlorine compounds
organic air pollutants and photochemical smog
soil chemistry, such as:
soil and agriculture
macronutrients and micronutrients in soil
contaminated soil
soil loss and degradation
environmental chemistry of hazardous wastes
environmental toxicological chemistry
Biodiversity principles and concepts
Biodiversity principles and concepts may include:
scope (levels) of biodiversity, such as genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity
biodiversity attributes, such as components, patterns and processes
bioregional planning and management
biodiversity and the balance between conservation and ecologically sustainable development
biodiversity and ecosystem health, such as soil fertility, clean freshwater and clean air
managing threatening processes, such as:
land clearing and habitat loss
alien species
pollution control
fire
climate change
local, state, national and international legislative and policy frameworks
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

Overview of assessment
Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Assessors must be satisfied that the candidate can competently and consistently apply the skills covered in this unit of competency in new and different situations and contexts. Critical aspects of assessment and evidence include:
demonstrating an understanding of the legislative and planning framework that applies to environmental site appraisal
researching, reviewing and concisely documenting site environmental history using appropriate scientific terminology
identifying relevant environmental indicators for site and/or locality
analysing available data in comparison with core environmental indicators, established standards, regulatory limits, and statutory environmental quality concentration limits or similar
applying a working knowledge of relevant terminology, concepts and principles in geology, geomorphology, hydrology and ecology to provide a systematic, scientific appraisal of site environmental condition.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment.
Assessment should emphasise a workplace context and procedures found in the candidate’s workplace.
This unit of competency may be assessed with:
MSS025002A Assess the environmental risk or impact of a project activity or process
site-specific units, such as:
MSS025013A Assist with assessing and monitoring wetlands.
The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team.
Resources may include:
state of the environment reports, national environment protection measures, ANZECC Core environmental indicators documentation
environmental databases (electronic, web-based and hardcopy)
national and state/territory environmental management strategies, guidelines and regulations.
Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of reports about assessment of site environmental condition prepared by candidate
feedback from peers and supervisors
oral and written questioning to check underpinning knowledge of assessing the environmental condition of sites
review of workplace documentation completed by the candidate.
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.
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.
Guidance information for assessment