Application
This unit of competency covers the ability to plan and complete tasks individually or in a team context. The tasks involve established routines and procedures using allocated resources with access to readily available guidelines and advice. Work plans may need to be modified with supervisor agreement to suit changing conditions and priorities.
This unit of competency is applicable to instrument operators, laboratory assistants and technical assistants working in all industry sectors.
While no specific licensing or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication, laboratory operations are governed by relevant legislation, regulations and/or external accreditation requirements. Local requirements should be checked.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. | ||
1 | Plan and organise daily work activities | 1.1 | Clarify allocated work activities and required resources if necessary |
1.2 | Prioritise work activities as directed | ||
1.3 | Break down work activities into small achievable components and efficient sequences | ||
1.4 | Review work plan in response to new information, urgent requests, changed situations or instructions from appropriate personnel | ||
1.5 | Update work plan and communicate changes to appropriate personnel | ||
2 | Complete allocated work | 2.1 | Locate relevant workplace procedures for required tasks |
2.2 | Undertake tasks following prescribed and routine work-related sequences | ||
2.3 | Seek assistance from relevant personnel when difficulties cannot be handled | ||
2.4 | Record completion of activities to confirm outputs in accordance with plan | ||
3 | Identify and resolve work problems | 3.1 | Recognise problems or opportunities for improved work performance |
3.2 | Apply agreed problem-solving strategies to consider possible causes and solutions | ||
3.3 | Identify and access appropriate sources of help | ||
3.4 | Consider available alternatives and keep them open before agreeing on the most appropriate action | ||
4 | Work in a team environment | 4.1 | Cooperate with team members to negotiate and achieve agreed outcomes, timelines and priorities |
4.2 | Recognise personal abilities and limitations when undertaking team tasks | ||
4.3 | Confirm personal role and responsibility within the team for particular outputs | ||
4.4 | Demonstrate sensitivity to the diversity of other team members' backgrounds and beliefs | ||
5 | Update knowledge and skills as required | 5.1 | Recognise own strengths and weaknesses and take advantage of skill development opportunities |
Evidence of Performance
Evidence of competence in this unit must satisfy all of the requirements of the elements and performance criteria, and include demonstration of:
clarifying tasks and recognising resource needs
planning, prioritising and completing tasks individually or in a team context
following workplace procedures consistently to achieve quality outputs within required timelines
identifying and resolving work problems
recognising potential disruptions or changed circumstances and modifying work plan in conjunction with relevant personnel
working effectively with team members who may have diverse work styles, cultures and perspectives
promoting cooperation and good relations
conducting work based on ethical values and principles
adjusting to a variety of working environments
seeking assistance from relevant personnel if difficulties arise.
Evidence of Knowledge
Must provide evidence that demonstrates knowledge of:
workplace procedures covering:
customer service and quality
work health and safety (WHS) and environmental legislative requirements relevant to job role
technical work that the candidate routinely performs
ethical issues relevant to the nature of the candidate’s work
problem-solving strategies
interpersonal communication and conflict resolution techniques.
Assessment Conditions
Judgement of competence must be based on holistic assessment of the evidence. Assessment methods must confirm consistency of performance over time, rather than a single assessment event.
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace, or a simulated workplace environment. A simulated workplace environment must reflect realistic operational workplace conditions that cover all aspects of workplace performance, including the environment, task skills, task management skills, contingency management skills and job role environment skills.
Foundation skills are integral to competent performance of the unit and should not be assessed separately.
Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, literacy and numeracy requirements of the work being performed and the needs of the candidate.
Knowledge evidence may be collected concurrently with performance evidence or through an independent process such as workbooks, written assessments or interviews (provided a record is kept in each case).
This unit of competency may be assessed with:
MSL913001 Communicate with other people
MSL943002 Participate in laboratory or field workplace safety
technical units related to the tasks undertaken
Holistic assessment methods include:
review of documents detailing completed tasks, such as completed job cards, a report or suggestions for quality improvements
feedback from supervisors, peers and team members
review of a flowchart prepared by the candidate to show efficient sequencing of tasks
written or oral questions to partly assess the candidate’s ability to handle a range of contingencies and work in a team environment
observation of the candidate performing a range of technical tasks over sufficient time to demonstrate their handling of a variety of contingencies.
Access is required to instruments, equipment, materials, workplace documentation, procedures and specifications associated with this unit, including, but not limited to:
workplace procedures, equipment and materials for relevant technical tasks.
Assessors must satisfy the assessor competency requirements that are in place at the time of the assessment as set by the VET regulator.
The assessor must demonstrate both technical competence and currency.
Technical competence can be demonstrated through:
relevant VET or other qualification/Statement of Attainment AND/OR
relevant workplace experience.
Currency can be demonstrated through:
performing the competency being assessed as part of current employment OR
having consulted with a laboratory about performing the competency being assessed within the last twelve months.
Foundation Skills
This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential to performance.
Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.
Range Statement
This field allows for different work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. | |
Standards, codes, procedures and/or workplace requirements | Standards, codes, procedures and/or workplace requirements include the latest version of one or more of: Australian and international standards covering safety in laboratories, and quality and environmental management national work health and safety (WHS) standards and codes of practice |
Ethical and professional work performance | Ethical and professional work performance includes: following workplace 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 information and test results ensuring proprietary rights, intellectual property (IP) and copyright are protected |
Workplace activities | Workplace activities include, but are not limited to, one or more of: set-up and pre-use checks of laboratory equipment calibration status checks sampling and testing following standard procedures maintenance and cleaning tasks |
Workplace procedures | Workplace procedures include, but are not limited to, one or more of: standard operating procedures (SOPs) job descriptions, job cards, batch cards and production schedules test methods, recipes, procedures and protocols |
Problem-solving strategies | Problem-solving strategies include one or more of: accessing relevant documentation identifying inputs and outputs and sequencing a process identifying and rectifying a problem step obtaining timely help implementing preventative strategies wherever possible |
Teams | Teams include one or more groups: with ongoing responsibility for particular services or functions who are project based who have a mixture of full and part-time employees and contractors, laboratory, construction and production personnel who are separated by distance and work at sites outside laboratory facilities |
Team operation | Team operation occurs within one or more of: small, medium and large contexts internal and external environments workplace guidelines covering access and equity principles and practices, licensing requirements, industrial awards, workplace bargaining agreements and codes of practice agreed responsibility and accountability requirements appropriate goals, objectives and allocated resources |
Strategies to maintain work flow | Strategies to maintain work flow include, but are not limited to, one or more of: 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 |
WHS and environmental management requirements | WHS and environmental management requirements include: · complying with WHS and environmental management requirements at all times, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation. These requirements must not be compromised at any time · applying standard precautions relating to the potentially hazardous nature of samples accessing and applying current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and State and Territory Departments of Health, where relevant |
Sectors
Competency Field
Communication/organisation