Application
This unit describes the skills and knowledge to evaluate the risks and impacts associated with a specific project activity or process. It includes researching and describing the activity or process and local environment, identifying relevant environmental issues, assessing environmental risks or impacts, and then identifying appropriate environmental management actions and/or alternatives. Personnel will have access to an organisation environmental management plan for the site and/or a checklist to guide risk or impact assessment of the activity or process against organisation, community, and/or legislative requirements.
This unit applies to environmental technicians working in a range of industry sectors, including environmental monitoring, and sampling; occupational hygiene monitoring; groundwater and clean water; water treatment, storm and wastewater management; solid and hazardous waste management; site remediation or rehabilitation; management of contaminated sites; geotechnical services and civil engineering; natural resource management; resource efficiency. They work under the supervision of environmental managers, scientists, engineers and/or planners.
No licensing or certification requirements exist at the time of publication. Relevant legislation, industry standards and codes of practice within Australia must be applied.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. | ||
1 | Clarify the project activity or process and environmental management framework | 1.1 | Review the history of the project activity or process and scope of the required risk and impact assessment |
1.2 | Identify legislative, regulatory and licensing requirements | ||
1.3 | Access, read and interpret available information about the site, including organisation environmental management documents or risk assessment guidelines | ||
1.4 | Write a detailed description of all phases of the project or process and the site or project environment | ||
1.5 | Confirm project or process details, risk assessment procedure and risk assessment criteria with supervisor | ||
2 | Identify environmental issues for project activity or process | 2.1 | Consult with organisation personnel to identify environmental issues |
2.2 | Confirm with supervisor if input from community representatives and environmental specialists is required | ||
2.3 | Identify significant hazards and short and long-term risks associated with the process or project activity | ||
2.4 | Analyse each part of the process or project for impacts on the physical, biological and social components of the local environment and ecological linkages operating at the site | ||
2.5 | Identify both positive and negative impacts | ||
3 | Assess environmental risks and impacts | 3.1 | Use agreed assessment criteria to evaluate project activity or process against legislative, regulatory and licensing requirements, site terms and conditions, community values, and organisation environmental management policies and plans |
3.2 | Summarise all significant environmental risks and impacts and the evidence used to justify the assessment | ||
4 | Evaluate alternatives | 4.1 | Read and interpret organisation environmental management documents to identify specified methods for controlling risks and minimising impacts at the site |
4.2 | Work with relevant personnel and experts to consider alternative solutions | ||
4.3 | Identify amendments to project activities, alternative processes or improved environmental management actions to minimise risks and impacts | ||
4.4 | Identify feasible and economically viable solutions and document the case for adopting them | ||
5 | Report findings | 5.1 | Report the assessment of environmental risks and impacts in the required format and expected timeframe |
5.2 | Brief supervisor and stakeholders about the environmental assessment process and outcomes | ||
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.
Sectors
Environmental
Competency Field
Project management