Application
This unit supports the implementation of national, state or territory food safety legislation and regulations. All enterprise or workplace procedures and activities are carried out according to relevant government regulations, licensing and other compliance requirements, including occupational health and safety (OHS) guidelines, food safety and hygiene regulations and procedures and ecologically sustainable development (ESD) principles. Equipment operation, maintenance, repairs and calibrations are undertaken in a safe manner that conforms to manufacturer instructions. Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is selected, checked, used and maintained. |
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
1. Comply with food safety requirements while working in a food handlingarea | 1.1. Food safety and personalhygiene requirements related to work tasks of others are identified and followed. 1.2. Work responsibilities are carried out so that the safety of food is not compromised. 1.3. Identify and report any procedures or practices which are not consistent with the food safety program. 1.4. Corrective action is taken according to the food safety program. |
2. Maintain food handling area in a clean and orderly state | 2.1. Equipment and/or utensils used, and the food handling area meet the ongoing cleaning and sanitation requirements of food safety program. 2.2. Waste is collected and disposed of according to food safety program. |
Required Skills
Required skills |
carrying out work responsibilities to ensure that food safety is not compromised identifying and correcting or reporting situations or procedures that relate to own work that could compromise food safety locating or confirming and following work and related food safety responsibilities as required by the food business maintaining housekeeping standards in the food handling area and disposing of waste as required by work responsibility to meet food business requirements maintaining personal hygiene consistent with food business requirements reporting health conditions and illness as required by workplace food safety procedures taking necessary precautions when moving between or around the workplace and/or from one task to another so that food safety is not compromised wearing and maintaining appropriate clothing/footwear as required by work tasks to meet food business requirements. Literacy skills used for: compiling reports reading and interpreting food safety plans reading, interpreting and modifying work procedures reporting and recording workplace health and illness. Numeracy skills used for: interpreting technical documents monitoring temperatures. |
Required knowledge |
cleaning and sanitation requirements and responsibilities, including an understanding of cleaning methods appropriate to a food handling environment and those used in the specific food handling area food safety requirements related to own work as determined by the food business housekeeping standards to be maintained in the work area methods and procedures to be followed when carrying out work responsibilities in a food handling area to ensure that food safety is not compromised. This will depend on the nature of work responsibilities and food safety requirements as specified by the workplace. It includes an understanding of the types of contamination and cross-contamination that can occur as a result of work activities and storage, procedures used to prevent these types of contamination from occurring, and the action required if food safety is, or may have been, compromised personal hygiene practices and clothing and footwear requirements associated with working in and moving in and between food handling areas suitable standard of products, materials, tools and equipment used in the food handling area. This includes and awareness of chemicals suitable for use in a food environment, appropriate equipment and work methods, and materials that are unsuitable for use, such as breakable or dirty equipment/materials waste collection, recycling and handling procedures. |
Evidence Required
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package. | |
Overview of assessment | |
Critical aspects for assessment evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit | Assessment must confirm the ability to: oversee the activities of staff operating in a food handling area. Whilst not directly involved in the production or processing of seafood the individual is responsible for maintaining the hygienic and sanitary integrity of the food handling area. Assessment must confirm knowledge of: activities needed to return to the required levels of hygiene and sanitation communication between workforce and others, including contractors organisation of work in a food handling area and the scheduling of work to avoid loss of hygiene integrity procedures and/or practices which are not consistent with the food safety plan the requirements of the food safety plan in general and personal hygiene requirements in particular waste disposal routines. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | Assessment of this unit must occur in a real or simulated workplace. Such an environment must provide a typical range of seafood handling and related food safety requirements that would normally be found in a food handling business. The assessment process must provide an opportunity for the assessee to demonstrate work activities that are consistent with the workplace seafood safety procedures and with food safety legislation. Resources may include: access to the candidate's peers and supervisors access to enterprise engineering and/or production expertise enterprise maintenance schedules and procedures enterprise OHS policy and procedures enterprise product/production specifications HACCP plans relevant food safety standards. |
Method of assessment | The following assessment methods are suggested: demonstration project (work or scenario based) workplace documents written or oral questions. |
Guidance information for assessment | This unit may be assessed holistically with other seafood processing units within a qualification. |
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, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. | |
Relevant government regulations, licensing and other compliance requirements may include: | ESD principles, environmental hazard identification, risk assessment and control food safety, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), hygiene and temperature control along chain of custody imports quarantine and inspection, and importing approved arrangements for Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS), Australian Customs Service (ACS) and Biosecurity Australia (BA) business or workplace operations, policies and practices: commercial law, including fair trading and trade practices consumer law corporate law, including registration, licensing and financial reporting disability policies and practices equal opportunity, anti-discrimination and sexual harassment industrial relations and awards, individual employment contracts and share of catch agreements jurisdictional variations superannuation taxation trade practices warnings and dismissals worker's compensation OHS hazard identification, risk assessment and control product quality assurance: correct naming and labelling (e.g. country of origin, Australian Fish Names Standard and eco-labelling) correct quantities, sizes, other customer requirements third-party certification (e.g. Australian Grown and ISO 14001:2004 Environmental management systems). |
OHS guidelines may include: | appropriate workplace provision of first aid kits and fire extinguishers clean, uncluttered, hygienic workplace codes of practice, regulations and/or guidance notes which may apply in a jurisdiction or industry sector enterprise-specific OHS procedures, policies or standards hazard and risk assessment of workplace and maintenance activities and control measures induction or training of staff, contractors and visitors in relevant OHS procedures and or requirements to allow them to carry out their duties in a safe manner OHS training register safe lifting, carrying and handling techniques, including manual handling, and the handling and storage of hazardous substances safe systems and procedures for outdoor work, including protection from solar radiation, fall protection, confined space entry and the protection of people in the workplace systems and procedures for the safe maintenance of property, machinery and equipment, including hydraulics and exposed moving parts the appropriate use, maintenance and storage of PPE. |
Food safety and hygiene regulations and procedures may include: | Australian Shellfish Sanitation program display, packaging and sale of food, including seafood and aquatic products equipment design, use, cleaning and maintenance exporting requirements, including AQIS Export Control (Fish) orders handling and disposal of condemned or recalled seafood products HACCP, food safety program, and other risk minimisation and quality assurance systems location, construction and servicing of seafood premises people, product and place hygiene and sanitation requirements Primary Products Standard and the Australian Seafood Standard (voluntary) processing, further processing and preparation of food, including seafood and aquatic products product labelling, tracing and recall receipt, storage and transportation of food, including seafood and aquatic products requirements set out in Australian and New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) Food Standards Code and state and territory food regulations temperature and contamination control along chain of custody. |
ESD principles may include: | controlling the use and recycling of water, and managing water quality and quantity increasing use of renewable, recyclable and recoverable resources managing environmental hazard identification, risk assessment and control managing imported products quarantine and inspection, facility biosecurity, translocation of livestock and genetic material, and health certification managing stock health and welfare, especially for handling, holding, transport and slaughter managing sustainable fisheries or broodstock/seedstock collection requirements, such as size limits, quotas, season restrictions, population dynamics, fishing impacts, reducing by-catch, fisheries management strategies and maintaining biodiversity managing, controlling and treating effluents, chemical residues, contaminants, wastes and pollution minimising noise, dust, light or odour emissions planning environmental and resource efficiency improvements preventing genetically modified organisms and live cultured or held organisms from escaping into environment, protecting native and protected flora and fauna, marine or land parks or areas, adhering to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), the Ramsar Convention, World Heritage and other international treaties for which Australia is a signatory. reducing emissions of greenhouse gases reducing use of non-renewable resources reducing disturbances to soils, erosion and surface water flows from machinery use and other activities reducing energy use, introducing alternative energy sources. |
PPE may include: | buoyancy vest or personal floatation device (PFD) personal locator beacon or Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) insulated protective clothing for freezers or chillers and refrigeration units protective outdoor clothing for tropical conditions non-slip and waterproof boots (gumboots) or other safety footwear hard hat or protective head covering protective hair, beard and boot covers gloves, mitts or gauntlets, and protective hand and arm covering protective eyewear, glasses and face mask hearing protection (e.g. ear plugs and ear muffs) respirator or face mask sun protection (e.g. sun hat, sunscreen and sunglasses) safety harness uniforms, overalls or protective clothing (e.g. mesh and waterproof aprons) waterproof clothing (e.g. wet weather gear and waders). |
Food handlingarea may include: | any work area where receiving, basic handling and inspection, preparation, cooking, processing, display, packaging, storage and/or transport of food occur any work area where contamination can result from work activities, including: chemical contamination which could be caused by lubricants, resins, and cleaning and sanitation chemicals physical contamination which could be caused by metal, glass, plastic and cloths microbiological contamination that could result from cross-contamination when moving into and between food-handling areas (both direct contamination of the product and contamination of the work area are to be avoided) the products and materials used in a food handling area |
Personal hygiene may include: | personal hygiene, clothing and footwear, and requirements to report health conditions or illness that meet workplace requirements and procedures. At a minimum such procedures must ensure that any person in food premises does not contaminate food, does not have unnecessary contact with ready-to-eat food and does not spit, smoke or use tobacco or similar in a food handling area. Refer to Food Safety Standards 3.2.2, Clause 17:3 as a minimum guide and/or relevant state or territory legislation and regulations. |
Food safety program may include: | that which systematically identifies the food safety hazards that may be reasonably expected to occur in all food handling operations of the food business. The food safety program will comply with relevant national, state, territory and industry legislation and regulations. the food business responsible for establishing the food safety program. Where a person who is not a direct employee of the business carries out the functions covered by this guideline competency standard, they are responsible for ascertaining the requirements of the food business relating to food safety. These requirements may be set out in procedures and/or in agreements or contractual arrangements established with service providers. Responsibilities of any person visiting and/or working in a food handling area will be communicated prior to entering the food handling area. |
Sectors
Unit sector | Seafood processing |
Employability Skills
This unit contains employability skills. |
Licensing Information
Refer to Unit Descriptor