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, guidelines and codes covering WHS; laboratory design and construction; occupational protective equipment; labelling of workplace substances; storage, handling and transport of dangerous goods; environmental management; physical containment levels and facility types industry specific codes, regulations and guidelines, such as Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) Codes of Practice, Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) Export Control (Orders) Regulations and Import Guidelines, gene technology regulations, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Guidelines, and animal welfare |
Typical equipment | Typical equipment includes, but is not limited to, one or more of: balances; glassware; plastic ware; glass, plastic and quartz cuvettes, pipettes, burettes and volumetric glassware blending, mixing and separating equipment, such as sieves and centrifuges autoclaves, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, ovens, hotplates, mantles, burners and muffle furnaces, microwave ovens, ultrasonic cleaners, incubators and water baths, and gas cylinders fume hoods, biohazard containers and biological safety cabinets microtomes and tissue processors, cell counters and staining machines colorimeters/spectrometers and polarimeters, light and fluorescence microscopes thermometers, thermohygrographs, hydrometers, conductivity meters and pH meters and ion-selective electrodes, noise meters, melting point apparatus, viscometers and instrument chart recorders steel ruler/tapes and spirit levels, shovels, scoops, plates, rods, cylinder moulds and buckets rifflers and splitters and mixers, compaction rammers and soil classification equipment, penetrometers, force measuring equipment and tensiometers, and hardness testing equipment animal cages vehicles |
Typical materials | Typical materials include, but are not limited to, one or more of: consumable items, such as syringes, pipette tips and weigh boats PPE distilled water, reagents, chemicals, disinfectants, detergents, agar media and plates equipment spares, such as fuses, bulbs and batteries oils/lubricants, fuels, industrial gases and cryogenics, such as dry ice and liquid nitrogen paper and stationery reference samples and standards |
Cleaning requirements | Cleaning requirements include one or more of: decontamination and/or disinfection hygiene monitoring minimising environmental impacts operation of automatic cleaning apparatus, such as pipette washers, ultrasonic cleaners and dishwashers sterilisation and disposal of wastes using boiling, high pressure air or steam, microwaves, chemicals, gas, filtration, ultraviolet radiation and autoclaving use of specialised techniques, such as chromic acid baths and soaking in hypochlorite |
Preparation areas | Preparation areas include one or more of: benches fume cupboards sheds sinks |
Agents for cleaning | Agents for cleaning include one or more of: cleaning solutions decontaminants organic solvents |
Spillages | Spillages include one or more of: chemicals radioactive materials biologically active materials |
Waste | Waste includes, but is not limited to, one or more of: broken glass and sharps disposable PPE spent reagents, spent or excess samples and test pieces, solvents and batteries used containers, boxes, bags and palettes, plastic and metals microorganisms |
Stock records | Stock records include one or more of: calibration and maintenance history data sheets handbooks, warranty documents, catalogues, manuals and material safety data sheets (MSDS) records of usage, loans and breakages |
Maintenance issues | Maintenance issues include, but are not limited to, one or more of: hygiene issues, prevention of contamination, cleaning, recycling and waste disposal checking materials and equipment are fit for purpose, equipment malfunction, and checking serviceability before storage potential hazards, incidents and emergencies, spillages, leakages, breakages and contamination stock requirements and shortages, and storage constraints |
Hazards | Hazards include, but are not limited to, one or more of: sharps, broken glassware and hand tools aerosols from broken centrifuge tubes and pipetting microbiological organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products, and human or animal tissue and fluids chemicals, such as acids, heavy metals, pesticides and hydrocarbons sources of ignition, flammable liquids and gases cryogenic agents, such as dry ice and liquid nitrogen electric shock fluids under pressure, such as steam and industrial gas cylinders crushing, entanglement and cuts associated with moving machinery or falling objects manual handling, working at heights and working in confined spaces occupational overuse syndrome, slips, trips and falls pedestrian and vehicular traffic solar radiation, dust and noise |
Established safe work practices | Established safe work practices include, but are not limited to, one or more of: applying containment procedures through the use of appropriate equipment, such as biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets, and Class PCII, PCIII, and PCIV physical containment facilities ensuring access to service shut-off points following established manual handling procedures for tasks involving manual handling handling and storage of all hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labelling, MSDS and manufacturer instructions identifying and reporting operating problems or equipment malfunctions labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials recognising and observing hazard warnings and safety signs reporting to appropriate personnel of abnormal emissions, discharges and airborne contaminants, such as noise, light, solids, liquids, water/wastewater, gases, smoke, vapour, fumes, odours and particulates use of PPE, such as hard hats, hearing protection, gloves, safety glasses, goggles, face guards, coveralls, gown, body suits, respirators and safety boots |
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 |