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 operate a mobile chipper/mulcher within organisational requirements

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 operating a mobile chipper/mulcher

following organisational policies and procedures relevant to operating a mobile chipper/mulcher

operating a mobile chipper/mulcher in line with the work order and within prescribed organisational tolerances

conducting operator maintenance on a mobile chipping unit

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 follow 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 must 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 use and maintain relevant tools, machinery and equipment; efficiently and safely operating a mobile chipper/mulcher

Communication skills and interpersonal techniques sufficient to interact appropriately with colleagues and others in the workplace

Literacy skills sufficient to accurately locate, record and report information

Numeracy skills sufficient to sufficient to estimate measure and calculate time required to complete a task

Problem solving skills sufficient to review and accurately identify work requirements; identify problems and equipment faults and demonstrate appropriate response procedures

Required knowledge

Applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation, regulations, standards, codes of practice and established safe practices relevant to the full range of processes for operating a mobile chipper/mulcher

Environmental protection requirements, including the safe disposal of waste material and the cleaning of plant, tools and equipment

Organisational and site standards, requirements, policies and procedures for operating a mobile chipper/mulcher

Characteristics of trees and timber defects

Chipping/mulching procedures

Mobile chipper/mulcher operation and safety

Chipper/mulcher condition assessment

Social/community benefit of uses for chipped/mulched timber

Established communication channels and protocols

Problem identification and resolution strategies and common fault finding techniques

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

Appropriate mathematical procedures for estimating and measuring, including calculating time to complete tasks

Procedures for recording and reporting workplace records and 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 and risk control

fatigue management

elimination of hazardous materials and substances

safe forest practices including required actions relating to forest fire

manual handling including shifting, lifting and carrying

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

quality assurance

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 disposal, recycling and re-use guidelines)

Work order is to include:

instructions for the chipping/mulching and despatch of chipped/mulched timber refuse from the work site

and may include:

type

size

length

quantity

grade

and may also include:

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

Timber refuse may include:

branches

tree heads

bark

other timber waste

Chipping/mulching

is the process of converting timber refuse into varying chip sizes using mechanised chipping/mulching units

Equipment may include:

mobile chipping/mulching units

specific safety attire

maintenance tools and equipment

and is to include procedures for equipment lock-out, such as protecting operators and co-workers from accidental injury by isolating the machine

Communication may include:

verbal and non-verbal language

hand or other agreed signals

eye contact with other operators or personnel

active listening

questioning to clarify and confirm understanding

use of electronic communication devices

Chipping/mulching unit may include:

a truck mounted chipping/mulching unit or trailer mounted chipping/mulching unit feeding into a truck or other form of transportation

and is usually petrol driven, with high powered spinning cutters which shred timber refuse into chips/mulch

Pre start-up checks

are conducted to ensure:

equipment has been set-up correctly

systems are performing accurately and operating to optimum performance

Capacity may include:

the capacity of the machinery to cope with certain size diameters of branch

the speed by which waste is fed into the chipper/mulcher

Chip sizes

may vary in size, dependent on the customer or work order and the capability of the chipper/mulcher to set chip sizes

Records and reports may include:

timber type

size

outcomes

storage locations

quality outcomes

hazards

incidents

equipment malfunctions

and may be compiled manually or by using a computer-based system or another appropriate organisational communication system

Foreign matter may include:

contamination of chip

stones

rocks

metal

other foreign matter which may blunt the cutters or affect operation of the chipper/mulcher