Google Links

Follow the links below to find material targeted to the unit's elements, performance criteria, required skills and knowledge

Elements and Performance Criteria

Required Skills

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit

Required Skills

ability to use trapped person locating devices

air bags and other lifting equipment

cutting reinforced concrete

debris tunnelling shoring and propping

national marking systems

safe and effective use of generators and lighting equipment

shoring and tunnelling techniques

use of appropriate rescue equipment

use of atmospheric monitoring equipment

use of concrete cutting coring breaching and lifting equipment

use of heavy duty cutting breaking and lifting equipment

use of ropes anchors and rigging systems

use of visual and audible locating devices

working in teams

Required Knowledge

agency incident command and control systems

confined spaces legislation and procedures

coronial and other legal documentation requirements

disaster victim identification procedures

equipment capabilities and limitations

medical considerations for structural collapse casualties

operational briefing and debriefing procedures

principles of structural collapse operations

procedures for atmospheric monitoring

relationship of local USAR teams with local rescue response and emergency management

relevant OHampS principles and procedures

signs and symptoms of operational stress

types of construction and collapse

Evidence Required

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

It is essential for this unit that competence be demonstrated in safe use of tunnelling shoring and propping techniques safe use of breaching coring cutting and lifting of reinforced concrete

Atmospheric monitoring techniques to AS

Extrication of casualty minimising further injury to self or others

Application of safe work practices

Consistency in performance

Evidence should be gathered over a period of time in a range of actual or simulated workplace environments

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Context of assessment

Evidence is gathered in an actual or simulated structural collapse and rescue incident over a minimum of four shift changes

Specific resources for assessment

Assessment of this competency requires access to an appropriate training locationvenue organisations rescue equipment and personnel for teambased activities

Guidance information for assessment

Information that will assist or guide assessment will be written during Phase II of the Review of the PUA Public Safety Training Package

Information that will assist or guide assessment will be written during Phase II of the Review of the PUA00 Public Safety Training Package.

Range Statement


The Range Statement relates to the Unit of Competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the Performance Criteria is detailed below.
Structural collapse rescue is defined as	the mobilisation of resources required to safely and expeditiously locate and remove trapped and often injured victims from partially or totally collapsed structures or environments and the provision of emergency care in doing so
Rescue resources may include	hand tools atmosphere monitoring equipment concrete cutters and corers trained dogs aerial ladders platforms bulldozers bob cats cranes back hoes generators hydraulic jacks lights and towers wire rubble baskets acoustic devices fibre-optic cameras time-lapse cameras search cameras thermal imaging cameras infra-red cameras concrete cutting chain saws air-hammers drills lighting ropes bolt cutters wheel barrows buckets communications portable toilets tents heaters
Situational and environmental hazards may include	below debris hazards surface hazards overhead hazards structural and terrain instability dangerous goods and hazardous substances utilities irrespirable atmosphere adverse weather conditions
Recognised techniques may include	breaching concrete coring shoring and tunnelling concrete slab removal steel cutting
Operational documentation may include	site sectorisation plan memorandums of understanding equipment running and repair logs notes or sketches and other relevant information required for potential coronal or other legal proceedings incident reports communication logs injury register
Protective equipment may include	respiratory protection ear eye and head protection knee pads appropriate footwear overalls wet weather gear