This unit of competency covers the ability to classify building sites, including residential, light industrial, commercial and institutional structures for the purpose of providing guidance for the design of footing systems.

This unit of competency is applicable to senior technical officers working in the construction materials testing industry sector. Site classification is applicable to single dwelling houses, townhouses and commercial, institutional or light industrial buildings. The classification depends on reactivity of the foundation soils and other potential problems, such as mine subsidence, groundwater conditions and slope. These influence the design of footings, so as to minimise damage due to foundation movement during the life of the building. Operations are performed in accordance with laboratory and/or workplace procedures, and appropriate legislative requirements.

This competency is typically performed by paraprofessionals working under the supervision of an engineer.

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.

Evidence of competence in this unit must satisfy all of the requirements of the elements and performance criteria, and include demonstration of:

safely conducting at least five (5) site classifications from the following list of site classes: S, M, H1, H2, E and P

liaising with clients to clearly establish their requirements, information needs and to resolve any problems

interpreting and applying the relevant sections of standards, regulations, codes of practice and workplace procedures

accurately interpreting site maps, drawings, features, bore logs and test data

recognising soil characteristics and accurately classifying samples of gravel, sand, silt and clay

comparing the physical properties of samples with test results and expected values and recognising anomalous results

interpreting test results and field observations with close attention to detail and making logical conclusions

arranging for additional samples or sampling at different bore locations to address insufficient data or contaminated samples

arranging for repeat or additional laboratory tests to address inconsistent data or resolve anomalous results

performing accurate calculations, such as surface movement

seeking timely advice to deal with situations beyond own technical competence

providing site classification reports to clients in accordance with workplace procedures and within the expected timeframe

maintaining accurate and complete records of site classifications and confidentiality of client information.

Must provide evidence that demonstrates knowledge of:

provisions and requirements of relevant standards, regulations and building codes relevant to site classifications performed as part of job role

importance of ethical/professional conduct of site classifications and legal implications of errors

engineering properties of soil and rock materials

information required for footing system design

methods of assigning a site classification

influences of topography, site preparation, structures and vegetation on classification decisions

in situ and laboratory test methods applicable to site classification

common calculations (e.g. surface movement) used in site classification

common sources of site misclassification, including:

misidentification of soil properties

non-recognition of fill or nature of fill

laboratory test results inconsistent with site observations and/or bore logs

relevant hazards, work health and safety (WHS) and environment requirements.

Judgment 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. The timeframe must allow for adequate assessment of operation under all normal and a range of abnormal conditions.

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:

MSL975007 Supervise sampling, inspections and testing at construction sites

MSL975023 Supervise geotechnical site investigations

Holistic assessment methods include:

review of site classifications completed by the candidate

feedback from supervisors or clients about the candidate’s ability to conduct site classifications safely, efficiently and in accordance with work instructions

examples of workplace documentation completed by the candidate, such as site classification reports, records and calculations

observation of the candidate performing site classification tasks

oral or written questioning about site classification procedures, test methods, common site classification problems and interpretation of site data

review of responses to simulations, case studies and scenarios. For example, given appropriate soil profile test results, the candidate calculates the potential soil movement in each soil layer and the total surface movement.

Access is required to instruments, equipment, materials, workplace documentation, procedures and specifications associated with this unit, including, but not limited to:

client requirements, building site documentation, sampling data and test results

relevant codes, regulations, standards and test methods, and workplace procedures

calculator and/or computer with appropriate software.

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.

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.

Testing