Required skills

Required skills include

collecting analysing and reportingon information for enterprise operational plans budgets and performance management

organising and optimising the use of resources within agreed parameters to achieve planned outcomes

revising plans to take account of the unexpected

solving nonroutine problems

making decisions within limits of responsibility and authority

ensuring that legislation statutory and enterprise requirements are met in work operations

monitoring outputs analyses processes and introducing ways to improve operations

using effective consultative processes

promoting a learning environment for personnel in the immediate work area

motivating and counselling personnel to improve performance

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes

enterprise

business strategic and operational plans

key performance indicators

laboratory services

products

customers

legislation codes standards and registration criteria relevant to the work area or function

principles of budgeting operational planning and efficient resource use

workplace industrial agreements and regulations dealing with hygiene dress and behaviour of employees

SOPs and the technical details of sampling testing equipment and instrumentation within the work area

problem solving techniques and contingency planning

broad trends in production data eg seasonal and annual

auditing procedures

team leadership and development techniques

mentoring and coaching techniques

relevant health safety and environment requirements

Specific industry

Additional knowledge requirements may apply for different industry sectors For example

Biomedical and environmental

access information from sources such as relevant Federal and StateTerritory Acts Environmental Protection Agency EPA National Pathology Accreditation Advisory Council NPAAC and National Health and Medical Research Council NHMRC

Food processing

Codex Alimentarius standards Association of Analytical Communities International AOAC International Official Methods of Analysis

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

collect analyse and reporton information for enterprise operational plans budgets and performance management

organise and optimise the use of resources within agreed parameters to achieve planned outcomes

revise plans to take account of the unexpected

make decisions within limits of responsibility and authority

supervise laboratory operations and personnel so that planned outcomes are achieved within agreed resource and budget parameters without compromising safety quality and ethics

ensure that legislation statutory and enterprise requirements are met in work operations

monitor outputs analyses processes and introduce ways to improve operations

solve a range of nonroutine problems

use effective consultative processes

promote a learning environment for personnel in immediate work area

motivate and counsel personnel to improve performance

Context of and specific resources for assessment

This unit of competency should be assessed in a laboratory environment that meets Australian standards for working laboratories or is accredited by NATA or the Royal College of Pathology The assessment timeframe must allow for adequate assessment over a planning cycle

This unit of competency may be assessed with

MSLA Manage and develop teams

MSL916002A Manage and develop teams

MSLA Maintain registration and statutory or legal compliance in workfunctional area

MSL916004A Maintain registration and statutory or legal compliance in work/functional area

MSLA Implement and monitor OHS and environmental management systems

MSL946001A Implement and monitor OHS and environmental management systems.

Resources may include

laboratory equipped with appropriate services equipment instruments and consumables

relevant enterprise policies procedures operational reports financial reports and stock records

technical manuals SOPs and quality manuals

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested

direct observation of the candidates interactions with personnel

review of reports from subordinates peers managers and customers

review of reports operational budgets and plans generated by the candidate

review of performance reports for the candidates work area

review of documented examples of quality performance improvements achieved and examples of significant problems solved

simulationsrole plays to assess situations which are critical but did not arise during the negotiated assessment period

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 andor 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 studies below to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and to show its relevance in a workplace setting

Manufacturing

A laboratory supervisor analysed the costs of regular heavy metal testing of the wastewater stream leaving the companys plant Heshe compared these costs with a quotation from an external environmental consulting company and noted that it would be more cost effective to outsource the current level of testing However the supervisor argued that the company should retain this capability inhouse given the impact of impending legislation which will require it to develop an environmental management plan and introduce more complex monitoring Heshe demonstrated that it would benefit the company more in the long run if they recruited one new technician retrained existing laboratory staff and continued to perform all wastewater testing on site

Food processing

A technical officer had to complete a wide range of chemical analyses that required samples to be ignited for many hours in a muffler furnace digested with acid prepared for analysis by atomic absorption spectroscopy and gas chromatography GC and titrated against standard solutions The laboratory supervisor noticed that the number of analyses performed each day by the technician tended to fluctuate widely without an obvious cause Closer observation showed that the technicians efficiency was dependent on the order in which the analyses were begun and the use of the auto sampler for overnight operation of the GC

The supervisor suggested several ways to improve the technicians time management The supervisor installed a timer on the muffler furnace so that it could be operated overnight and organised the technician to perform labour intensive tasks after automated analyses had been initiated The supervisor then showed the technician the optimum order to perform individual tasks and verified that his instructions were followed over succeeding weeks The supervisors actions significantly improved the productivity of the laboratory Later it became obvious that the technicians time management system was not working as effectively as it had Again the supervisor monitored the technicians work and realised that since the daily analytical load was seasonal a second management system had to be developed that was dedicated to the new season Both systems were sufficiently flexible to take account of short term fluctuations in workload In summary the organisational skills of the supervisor and technicians ability to follow detailed instructions resulted in a more efficient use of company time labour and resources

Codes of practice

Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements

Equipment and systems

Problem solving

Communication

Supervisory responsibilities

Occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental management requirements