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Elements and Performance Criteria

1. Plan and organise daily work activities
   • Clarify allocated work activities and required resources if necessary
   • Prioritise work activities as directed
   • Break down work activities into small achievable components and efficient sequences
   • Review work plan in response to new information, urgent requests, changed situations or instructions from appropriate personnel
   • Update work plan and communicate changes to appropriate personnel
2. Complete allocated work
   • Locate relevant workplace procedures for required tasks
   • Undertake task(s) following prescribed and routine work related sequences
   • Seek assistance from relevant personnel when difficulties cannot be handled
   • Record completion of activities to confirm outputs in accordance with plan
3. Identify and resolve work problems
   • Recognise problems or opportunities for improved work performance
   • Apply agreed problem solving strategies to consider possible causes and solutions
   • Identify and access appropriate sources of help
   • Consider available alternatives and keep them open before agreeing on the most appropriate action.
4. Work in a team environment
   • Cooperate with team members to negotiate and achieve agreed outcomes, timelines and priorities
   • Recognise personal abilities and limitations when undertaking team tasks
   • Confirm personal role and responsibility within the team for particular outputs
   • Demonstrate sensitivity to the diversity of other team members' backgrounds and beliefs
5. Update knowledge and skills as required
   • Recognise own strengths and weaknesses and take advantage of skill development opportunities.

Required Skills

Evidence Required

The Evidence Guide describes the underpinning knowledge and skills that must be demonstrated to prove competence

Critical aspects of competency

Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard In particular assessors should look to see that the candidate

conducts work based on ethical values and principles

clarifies tasks and recognises resource needs

follows relevant procedures

recognises potential disruptions or changed circumstances and modifies work plan in conjunction with relevant personnel

compensates for a variety of working environments indoor outdoor and night

seeks assistance from relevant personnel when difficulties arise

achieves quality outcomes within timelines

works effectively with team members who may have diverse work styles cultures and perspectives

promotes cooperation and good relations in the team

Underpinning knowledge

Competency includes the ability to apply and explain

enterprise procedures covering

customer service

quality

OHS and environmental legislative requirements

technical work that the candidate routinely performs

workplace agreements and employment conditions such as

workers compensation

industrial awards enterprise agreements

equal employment opportunity

anti discrimination and antiharassment

ethical background relevant to the nature of the work such as

use of animals for research

genetic modification gene therapy cloning stem cells

in vitro fertilisation

forensic testing of populations

importance of commercial confidentiality

problem solving strategies

interpersonal communication and conflict resolution techniques

relevant health safety and environment requirements

Assessment context and methods

This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment

The following assessment methods are suggested

review of a flowchart prepared by the candidate to show efficient sequencing of tasks

observation of the candidate performing a range of technical tasks over sufficient time to demonstrate their handling of a variety of contingencies

review of documents detailing completed tasks such as completed job cards a report or suggestions for quality improvement

feedback from peers and team members

feedback from supervisors

written or oral questions to partly assess the candidates ability to handle a range of contingencies and working in a team environment

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

Interdependent assessment of unit

This unit of competency may be assessed with

PMLOHSA Participate in laboratoryfield workplace safety

PMLOHS302A Participate in laboratory/field workplace safety

PMLCOMB Communicate with other people

PMLCOM300B Communicate with other people

technical units related to the tasks undertaken

Resource implications

Resources may include

enterprise procedures equipment and materials for relevant technical tasks

This competency in practice

Manufacturing

A plastic processing plant had to halt production because of a suspect raw material The plant manager immediately requested the polymer testing laboratory to test and identify all batches of polypropylene additives and colouring agents The laboratory team of three assistants and one technical officer allocated the workload amongst themselves to conduct the twelve different tests within a period of four hours to identify the out of specification materials and report them to the production supervisor All laboratory assistants had to reschedule their workplan perform the required tests and assist each other to solve the production problem

Biomedical

As part of a routine sequence a technical officer is required to perform a series of tasks including the calibration of instruments required for testing of blood samples These tasks are to be completed within a specified timeframe to meet the output requirements of the enterprise During the calibration of one of the instruments the technician experiences difficulties that required expert technical assistance The problem is referred to the appropriate person and is quickly resolved Consequently the officer is able to complete all necessary tasks within the prescribed timeframe and the required output is maintained

Food processing

Each of the technical assistants working in the laboratory of a food processing company was dedicated to performing specific analyses As a result they often alternated between periods of inactivity and excessive workload the latter case had the potential to compromise their health and safety and the accuracy of their food analyses One of the contributing factors to the periods of intense activity was the need to quickly prepare standard solutions and reagents The team discussed this problem and agreed that while it was not appropriate for each assistant to become competent to perform every analytical procedure it was feasible for each person to be able to prepare solutions and reagents used by others The team developed a central register in which impending shortages of these materials was noted Each assistant referred to this register when no other work was due and prepared the materials on a first in first out basis unless a task was given a priority rating The team found that this strategy more evenly distributed the workload over their shift improved safety in the laboratory and reduced the risk of error

Key Competencies

The seven key competencies represent generic skills considered for effective work participation The bracketed numbering against each of the key competencies indicates the performance level required in this unit These are standalone levels and do not correspond to levels in the Australian Qualifications Framework AQF

Level represents the competence to undertake tasks effectively

Level represents the competence to manage tasks

Level represents the competence to use concepts for evaluating and reshaping tasks

Collecting analysing and organising information	Communicating ideas and information	Planning and organising activities	Working with others and in teams	Using mathematical ideas and techniques	Solving problems	Using technology
Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level	Level

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Range Statement

The range of variables relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that will affect performance.

Where reference is made to industry Codes of Practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used.

All work is performed ethically and professionally and includes:

following enterprise policy and procedures, regulations and legislation

behaving honestly and openly

respecting others and treating them with courtesy and impartiality

working diligently and responsibly

ensuring confidentiality of information, including client identification and test results

ensuring proprietary rights, intellectual property and copyright are protected

clarifying personal values and ethics and analysing how they impinge on actions in the workplace.

Workplace activities may include but are not limited to performing:

set up and pre-use checks of laboratory equipment

calibration status checks

sampling and testing following standard procedures

maintenance and cleaning tasks.

Workplace procedures may include:

standard operating procedures SOPs

job cards, batch cards, production schedules

job descriptions

methods, recipes, procedures and protocols.

Problem solving may include:

accessing relevant documentation

identifying inputs and outputs

sequencing a process

identifying and rectifying a problem step

obtaining timely help

implementing preventative strategies wherever possible.

Each team member assists the rest of the team to organise and manage its workload. The team may:

be ongoing with responsibility for particular services or functions, or project based

have a mixture of full and part-time employees and contractors, laboratory, construction and production personnel

be separated by distance and work at sites outside laboratory facilities.

The team operate within:

small, medium and large contexts

internal and external environments

enterprise guidelines covering access and equity principles and practices, licensing requirements, industrial awards, enterprise bargaining agreements, Codes of Practice

agreed responsibility and accountability requirements

appropriate goals, objectives

given resource parameters.

The work tasks of individual team members will vary according to the size of enterprise, the scope of the laboratory and their level of responsibility.

The team may use a variety of strategies to maintain work flow:

communicating critical events on shift

recognising shortages in reagents and problems with equipment

communicating quality breakdowns

recognising urgent and abnormal results to be processed

communicating and behaving in a courteous manner

being punctual.

Health, safety and environment

All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environmental (HSE) requirements, which may be imposed through State or Federal legislation, and these must not be compromised at any time. Where there is an apparent conflict between performance criteria and HSE requirements, the HSE requirements take precedence.

All operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied. 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. All operations are performed in accordance with standard operating procedures.

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