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

A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence that they can safely and efficiently dry timber in solar assisted kilns to appropriate moisture contents and stress levels whilst keeping degrade to a minimum

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all of the requirements of the elements of this unit and include demonstration of:

following applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislative and regulatory requirements and codes of practice relevant to drying timber in solar assisted kilns

following organisational policies and procedures relevant to drying timber in solar assisted kilns

consistently achieving target end moisture contents with acceptable levels of drying degrade

selecting appropriate timber drying schedules for a range of species and products

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Competency is to be assessed in the workplace or realistically simulated workplace

Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints

Assessment of required knowledge, other than confirmatory questions, will usually be conducted in an off-site context

Assessment is to comply with relevant regulatory or Australian Standards requirements

The following resources should be made available:

workplace location or simulated workplace

materials and equipment relevant to undertaking work applicable to this unit

specifications and work instructions

Method of assessment

Assessment must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the FPI11 Training Package

Assessment methods must confirm consistency and accuracy of performance (over time and in a range of workplace relevant contexts) together with application of required knowledge

Assessment may be by direct observation of tasks, with questioning on required knowledge and it must also reinforce the integration of employability skills

Assessment methods must confirm the ability to access and correctly interpret and apply the required knowledge

Assessment may be applied under project-related conditions (real or simulated) and require evidence of process

Assessment must confirm a reasonable inference that competency is able not only to be satisfied under the particular circumstance, but is able to be transferred to other circumstances

Assessment may be in conjunction with assessment of other units of competency

The assessment environment should not disadvantage the candidate

Assessment practices should take into account any relevant language or cultural issues related to Aboriginality, gender or language backgrounds other than English

Where the participant has a disability, reasonable adjustment may be applied during assessment

Language and literacy demands of the assessment task should not be higher than those of the work role

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit

Required skills

Technical skills sufficient to dry timber, use and maintain relevant tools, machinery and equipment, including using moisture measuring techniques

Communication skills sufficient to use appropriate communication and interpersonal techniques with colleagues and others

Literacy skills sufficient to accurately record and report workplace information, and maintain documentation

Numeracy skills sufficient to calculate moisture content; estimate timber volumes and weights and analyse statistical data

Problem solving skills sufficient to identify problems and equipment faults and demonstrate appropriate response procedures

Required knowledge

Applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislative, regulatory or certification requirements and codes of practice relevant to the full range of processes for drying timber

Environmental protection requirements, including the safe disposal of waste material

Organisational and site standards, requirements, policies and procedures for drying timber

Energy efficiency and savings obtained from various types of solar kilns

Established communication channels and protocols

Problem identification and resolution

Types of tools and equipment and procedures for their safe use, operation and maintenance

Species identification for a range of timbers likely to be encountered

Drying techniques including development and relief of drying stresses

Operation of solar assisted kilns

Types of timber degrades and how it develops

Basic knowledge of wood-water relationships in the drying process

Methods of visual inspection

Characteristics of timber

Quality and distribution processes

Storage systems and labelling

Appropriate mathematical procedures for estimation and measurement

Procedures for the recording, reporting and maintenance of workplace information

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.

OHS requirements:

are to be in line with applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation and regulations, and organisational safety policies and procedures, and may include:

personal protective equipment and clothing

safety equipment

first aid equipment

fire fighting equipment

hazard identification and risk control

fatigue management

elimination of hazardous materials and substances

knowledge of biohazards applicable to drying timber in solar kilns

manual handling including shifting, lifting and carrying

kiln entry requirements

Environmental requirements may include:

legislation

organisational policies and procedures

workplace practices

Legislative requirements:

are to be in line with applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation, regulations, certification requirements and codes of practice and may include:

award and enterprise agreements

industrial relations

Australian Standards

confidentiality and privacy

OHS

the environment

equal opportunity

anti-discrimination

relevant industry codes of practice

duty of care

Organisational requirements may include:

legal

organisational and site guidelines

policies and procedures relating to own role and responsibility

sustainability certification schemes

procedural manuals

quality and continuous improvement processes and standards

OHS, emergency and evacuation procedures

ethical standards

recording and reporting requirements

equipment use and maintenance and storage requirements

environmental management requirements (waste minimisation and disposal, recycling and re-use guidelines)

Timber may include:

native timber species

imported timber species

preservative treated timber

Work order is to include:

instructions for the drying of timber

and may include:

species

colour

type

width

length

thickness

quantity

target moisture content

instructions for the environmental monitoring of work and procedures

environmental care requirements relevant to the work

Appropriate personnel may include:

supervisors

suppliers

clients

colleagues

managers

Drying

is the process of removing water from timber whilst minimising degrade until it reaches a target moisture content suitable for intended use

Conversion process may include:

sawing process

yard storage

shed or other kiln storage

delivery of material to the kiln site

Racks

are packets of timber with racking sticks between each row of boards to facilitate evaporation of water from the timber

Visual assessment is to include:

the assessment of materials to determine stacking quality and faults

and may include:

stability

squareness of ends

spacing of strips

support to minimise warping

Equipment must include:

solar assisted kilns

procedures for equipment lock-out and safe entry, i.e. protecting operators and co-workers from accidental injury by isolating the machinery from the power source

and may include:

supplementary heat plant

forklift or loader

traverser and trolley

Sample Boards

are boards selected to be used to monitor moisture loss during the drying process

Moisture content

is the amount of moisture in timber at any given time

and must include:

assessment via capacitance, resistance and oven-dry methods

Drying plan

is the anticipated process the timber will undergo to remove moisture to target moisture content and may include:

air drying

sheltered air drying

pre-drying

reconditioning

high humidity treatments

final kiln drying

equalising

conditioning

Communication may include:

verbal and non-verbal language

constructive feedback

active listening

questioning to clarify and confirm understanding

use of positive, confident and cooperative language

electronic alarm, alert and notification systems associated with the kiln control software

Pre start-up checks

are conducted to ensure equipment has been set-up correctly, the systems are performing accurately and equipment is operating to optimum performance

Emergency shutdown

is the immediate shutting off of the equipment to prevent an accident or prevent damage to the machine or product

Kiln

See equipment

Baffles and/or blankets

are to assist in the drying process by directing air flow

Drying schedule

is the drying set points based on moisture content, moisture loss or time

Drying degrade may include:

surface checks

internal checks

end splits

collapse

excessive distortion

bow

spring

twist

cup

case Hardening

Drying end point

is the point in time when the drying process will be completed and the target moisture content achieved

Target moisture content

is the moisture content the kiln operator is trying to obtain from any given batch of timber

Drying stresses

are stress levels that develop through the drying process likely to affect timber performance in service

Rectified

refers to the amelioration of excessive drying stresses and may include:

high humidity treatments

conditioning

re-drying

letting timber equalise

Sub-standard material

See drying degrade

Disposal may include:

processing to a lower grade of product

recovery of heat value

recovery as ungraded product

Moisture probes

are probes pierced into representative boards which

provide moisture readings to assist in monitoring the

drying schedule

and may include

resistance or electromagnetic property probes

Movement of material may include:

the use of:

conveyor belt systems

track systems or lifting equipment

lifting equipment may include:

fork lifts

slings

trolley jacks

gantry cranes and loaders

cross transfer trucks

assistance with lifting may include the involvement of two or more personnel to lift materials manually or to guide the movement of mechanical equipment

Storage may include:

the use of:

storage racks

storage bays

stacks

modularised storage components

temporary stacking bays (stand, frame or ground)

and may be divided into:

standard product classification

product designation

size, dimension

stack number

weight

grade

shelf life

stock rotation position

Cleaning

sweeping

removing debris

removing rust build up

Records and reports may include:

moisture content achieved

drying schedule used

product type

size

inspection

grading and labelling outcomes

storage locations

quality outcomes

hazards

incidents or equipment malfunctions

and may be:

manual

using a computer-based system or another appropriate organisational communication system