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 the Food Standards Code including labelling, weights and measures legislation; and legislation covering food safety, environmental management, occupational health and safety, anti-discrimination and equal opportunity
Workplace information may include Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), specifications, production schedules and instructions, manufacturers' advice, standard forms and reports
Typical equipment for an automated process includes pumps, storage/holding/melt tanks and tempering equipment
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
Shutdown procedures may include cleaning. In some cases cleaning may be carried out by a dedicated cleaning crew
Operation of equipment and processes may require the use of process control panels and systems
Services may need to be confirmed. These depend on the nature of the process. Services for an automated process may include power, fuel, compressed and instrumentation air, steam and water

Ability to:
Access workplace information to identify tempering process requirements
Select, fit and use personal protective clothing and/or equipment
Confirm supply of necessary 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 equipment is clean and correctly configured for processing requirements; sensors and controls are correctly positioned; any scheduled maintenance has been carried out, and that all safety guards are in place and operational

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

setting pump speeds
checking temperature/zone settings
checking chocolate temperatures
Monitor supply and flow of materials to and from the tempering process and equipment operation to confirm process remains within specification
Demonstrate product/batch changeovers
Conduct temper test, interpret results and determine adjustments as required
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 tempering process and related equipment off-line in preparation for cleaning and/or maintenance within level of responsibility
Complete workplace records as required
Maintain work area to meet housekeeping standards

May include ability to:

Use process control systems
Conduct routine maintenance
Clean and sanitize equipment

Knowledge of:

Purpose and basic principles of the tempering process. This includes:

basic understanding of the crystallisation behaviour of cocoa fat
relationship between crystal forms and melting points/temperatures
process stages - heating, cooling and agitating, and reheating and effect of each of these on outcomes
Basic operating principles of equipment. This may include an operational understanding of main equipment components; temperature zones; 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 the tempering process and the effect of outputs on downstream processes
Quality characteristics required of chocolate for tempering and the effect of variation on tempering 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
Methods used to monitor the tempering process. This includes an understanding of temper test procedures and the significance of results for tempering process adjustments. It also 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 tempering process and related control measures
Common causes of variation and corrective action required
OHS hazards and controls
Requirements of different shutdowns as appropriate to the tempering process and workplace production requirements. This includes emergency and routine shutdowns and procedures to follow in the event of a power outage
Isolation, lock out and tag out procedures and responsibilities
Product/process changeover procedures and responsibilities
Procedures and responsibility for reporting production and performance information
Environmental issues and controls relevant to the tempering 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
Routine maintenance procedures
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
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
Recipe/batch instructions
Specifications, control points and processing parameters
Process and related equipment and services
Chocolate to be tempered
Tempermeter
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.