This unit of competency requires application of skills and knowledge relating to the maintenance and packing of escape slides. Maintenance involves inspection, testing, fault diagnosis, replacement of parts and cleaning during the performance of scheduled or unscheduled maintenance. Maintenance may be performed individually or as part of a team.

The unit does not include repairing escape slides.

The unit applies to a number of types of inflatable aircraft escape slides and is part of the Aeroskills Life Support and Furnishing Certificate III and IV training pathways.

The unit is used in workplaces that operate under the airworthiness regulatory systems of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).

Evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all of the requirements of the elements and performance criteria under the specified conditions of assessment, and must include:

applying WHS practices relating to escape slide maintenance processes, including the selection and correct use of PPE, where applicable

using MSDS

using maintenance publications, drawings and documentation relating to escape slide maintenance

handling, storing and organising transport of equipment

delivering briefings to personnel in relation to operating escape slides

inflating/deflating escape slides for maintenance

using applicable testing and measuring equipment, tools and maintenance documentation.

tying various types of knots, including:

reef knot

bowline

thumb knot

half hitch

hand sewing

cleaning and maintenance of equipment and tools.

The underlying skills inherent in this unit should be transferable across a range of aircraft life support equipment maintenance activities. It is essential that escape slide testing and inspection procedures, cleanliness requirements and safety precautions are fully observed, understood and complied with. Ability to interpret maintenance and packing procedures and apply them in practice is critical.

This is to be demonstrated through demonstration of the ability to recognise faults and replace components that are within the bounds of the individual’s authority, and through the demonstration of correct packing procedures.

Evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all of the requirements of the elements and performance criteria and include knowledge of:

relevant regulations, standards, enterprise procedures and maintenance publications

WHS procedures relating to survival inflatable life raft and escape slide maintenance, including the selection and use of PPE

how to obtain MSDS

relevant safety precautions including storage and handling of compressed gas cylinders

critical nature of maintaining and packing survival inflation devices, i.e. risk of death

search and rescue procedures

approved cleaning methods for aviation life support equipment

environmental conditions that may affect survival inflation devices, including UV degradation

types of corrosion and contamination that may affect survival inflation devices

handling, storage and transit procedures relating to survival inflation devices

survival inflation devices and methods of operation

principles of operation of inflation mechanisms

components of an escape slide and their function

repair limitations for escape slides

modification requirements for escape slides

requirements for a survival inflation device servicing facility

packing tools and measuring equipment required to pack survival inflatable devices

use of escape slides.

Competency should be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace using materials, tools and equipment specified in the maintenance manuals and applicable procedures. It is also expected that general and special-purpose tools and ground support equipment would be used where appropriate.

The work plan should take account of applicable safety and quality requirements in accordance with the industry and regulatory standards.

The following conditions of assessment represent the requirements of the Regulators (ADF and CASA) and maintenance stakeholders and must be rigorously observed.

A person cannot be assessed as competent until it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the workplace assessor that the relevant elements and performance criteria of the unit of competency are being achieved under routine supervision on the following range of tasks:

completing a minimum of three (3) inflation tests without the need for corrective action by the supervisor

recognising the limits of own authority

testing cylinder weight and determining if it is within tolerance

correctly packing a minimum of three (3) escape slides without the need for corrective action by the supervisor

recognising a range of faults and their serviceability limits (faults must include incorrect manufacture and verifying expiry date of escape slide.

This shall be established via the records in the Log of Industrial Experience and Achievement or, where appropriate, an equivalent Industry Evidence Guide (for details refer to the Companion Volume Assessment Guidelines).

Assessors must satisfy the requirements of the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Australian Skills Quality Authority, or its successors).

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.

Aircraft life support