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 and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Assessors should ensure that candidates can:

maintain very close attention to procedures, accuracy and precision of measurement to ensure integrity of test/calibration results (especially during lengthy tests)

critically examine each calibration step to ensure repeatability and validity of data

apply all relevant procedures and regulatory requirements to ensure the quality and integrity of the services or data provided

prepare test/calibration documentation that is accurate and complies with requirements

operate equipment correctly and safely

recognise problems or departures in systems and documentation and initiate actions to prevent or minimise them

recognise and report opportunities for improvements to procedures.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.

This unit of competency may be assessed with:

MSL924001 Process and interpret data

relevant MSL974000 series unit of competency

relevant MSL975000 series unit of competency.

Resources may include:

specialised calibration/test equipment, reference standards and laboratory facilities

access to a library of calibration methods, procedures and equipment specifications

enterprise quality manual and procedures.

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested:

review of calibration results, uncertainty calculations and workplace documentation completed by the candidate

feedback from supervisors and/or customers regarding quality of calibration services provided by the candidate

observation of the candidate performing standard calibrations

oral or written questioning to check underpinning knowledge of standard calibration procedures.

In all cases, practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly.

Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.

Access must be provided to appropriate learning and/or assessment support when required.

The language, literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work like environment.

This competency in practice

Industry representatives have provided the case studies below to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and to show its relevance in a workplace setting.

Background

Calibration work may be simple or highly complex depending upon the type of equipment being calibrated and the accuracy or uncertainties required. Manual calibrations may involve interconnecting equipment and setting the stimulus devices to the settings listed in the procedure. At each setting, the technician must verify that the response or output of the unit under test (UUT) is within the tolerances specified in the procedure. In addition, many procedures require that 'as-found' (before adjustment) and 'as-left' (after adjustment) results are recorded for maintaining the UUT documentation history.

Often calibration technicians must assess and document the total uncertainties for a given measurement by analysing equipment specifications and methodology during calibration. They have to interpret specifications and technical information and demonstrate initiative when adjusting and repairing instruments.

The calibration technician's workload can be routine and repetitive. A perpetual backlog of work and the constant need to reduce turn-around-time to meet client demands, coupled with enterprise productivity goals, can induce stress and mental fatigue if not carefully managed. However, it is essential that all personnel are able to perform tests and associated work tasks without undue pressure that might influence technical judgement if 'integrity of measurement' is to be retained. Errors arising from items incorrectly calibrated will, at best, have to be recalled which wastes time, resources and destabilises enterprise credibility. At worst, if undetected, they may have severe safety implications to personnel or equipment, depending on the nature of the item.

Calibration (1)

A customer delivers a test pressure gauge and requires certification that the gauge conforms to manufacturer's specifications. Personnel in the item reception area log the job and the laboratory supervisor assigns it to a calibration technician. He/she reads the work order and retrieves the approved calibration procedure. The procedure requires the customer's gauge to be tested to 1000 kPa using a hydraulic test station. The technician assembles the required apparatus and personal protective equipment. The gauge is visually inspected for defects and contamination. The temperature of the environment is checked and the hydraulic test station confirmed as fully operational. The required pressures are applied to the gauge and the indicated readings are transcribed onto the test report. The technician notes that some readings are outside the allowable tolerance and adjustments will have to be made. He/she takes another set of readings after making the necessary adjustments and records them on the report. The technician applies the required labels to the gauge, updates the database, produces a test report and places the item on the quality assurance bench for inspection by the supervisor. The supervisor visually inspects the item and checks the readings on the report. The job has taken two hours to complete.

Calibration (2)

A client has asked the laboratory to calibrate a spectrum analyser to manufacturer's specification. The supervisor assigns the job to a calibration technician who reads the job sheet and locates the appropriate calibration procedure. Although this spectrum analyser will be calibrated partly with the aid of automated technology, the technician estimates that the calibration will still take about nine hours to complete. The technician reads the procedure and assembles the equipment and allows for the required warm-up time for instrument stabilisation. Possible sources of error are minimised by cleaning connectors and tensioning them with the torque spanner. The technician performs the manual phase of the test and manually records 12 pages of results. The equipment is reconnected for the automated part of the procedure the test recommenced. The technician produces a further six pages of results. These are assessed for errors and non-conformances and all calculations are carefully checked. A final report is produced which accompanies the spectrum analyser to the quality assurance bench for checking by the supervisor. All cables and equipment used for the calibration are returned to the store.

Required skills

Required skills include:

selecting and applying appropriate test methods and calibration procedures

maintaining close attention to procedures, accuracy and precision of measurement to ensure the integrity of test/calibration results

using calibration and correction charts

calculating to give results in appropriate accuracy, precision and units

preparing test/calibration documentation that is accurate and complies with requirements

operating equipment correctly and safely

recognising problems or departures in systems and documentation and initiating actions to prevent or minimise them

recognising and report opportunities for improvements to procedures

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes:

purpose of metrology and calibration, including common terminology, concepts, principles, procedures, and applications

National Association of Testing Authority's (NATA) and National Measurements Institute's (NMI) role in the measurement and testing system in Australia

traceability, including legal requirements for traceability

requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories (e.g. AS ISO/IEC 17025) as they affect job role and responsibilities

hierarchy and appropriate selection of reference materials and instruments

non-conformance/non-compliance procedures and protocols associated with equipment, reference material and calibration procedures

troubleshooting procedures for equipment and test methods

methods for statistical analysis (means, ranges and standard deviations) and estimation of uncertainty of measurement (may include the use of software)

reporting procedures and legislative requirements

handling, transport, storage and operation of reference and working standards

laboratory environmental control requirements

relevant health, safety and environmental requirements

layout of the enterprise, divisions and laboratory

organisational structure of the enterprise

lines of communication

role of laboratory services for the enterprise and customers

Specific calibration fields

Additional knowledge requirements may apply for different calibration fields. For example, testing and calibrations conducted in the following:

acoustic and vibration measurement

chemical testing

construction materials testing

electrical testing

heat and temperature measurement

mechanical testing

metrology

non-destructive testing

optics and radiometry

pressure measurements

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.

Codes of practice

Where reference is made to industry codes of practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used

Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements

Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise procedures may include:

Australian and international standards, such as:

AS ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories

AS/NZS ISO 9001:2008 Quality management systems - Requirements

AS/NZS ISO 10005:2006 Quality management systems - Guidelines for quality plans

AS/NZS ISO 10012:2004 Quality assurance requirements for measurement equipment

ISO 5725 Accuracy (trueness and precision) of measurement methods and results

ISO/IEC Guide 98-3:2008 Uncertainty of measurement - Part 3 Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM)

Eurachem/CITAC Guide CG4 Quantifying uncertainty in analytical measurement

material safety data sheets (MSDS)

enterprise recording and reporting procedures and standard operating procedures (SOPs)

quality manuals, equipment and operating/technical manuals

test methods and calibration procedures (validated and authorised)

test methods and calibration procedures published by international, national or regional standards, reputable technical organisations, scientific texts or journals and equipment manufacturers

incident and accident/injury reports

schematics, work flows, laboratory layouts and production and laboratory schedules

Standard calibrations

Standard calibrations may include testing and/or calibrating the following equipment and reference materials using standard methods and procedures:

test equipment, such as anemometers, balances, barometers, calipers, environmental chambers, hygrometers, manometers, masses, micrometers, pressure equipment, spectrophotometers, tape measures, rules, temperature (digital) indicating systems, thermometers, thermocouples, timing devices, vibration analysis equipment and weighing instruments

electrical reference standards, such as air-lines, analogue meters, attenuators, bridges-manual balance, capacitors, DC voltage references, digital instruments (calibrators, DMMs, electronic transfer standards), inductors, instrument and ratio transformers, instrument transformer test sets, potentiometers, resistors, radio frequency (RF) power meters, RF thermistor mounts and thermal converters, shunts, time interval and frequency standards, transfer standards AC-DC, voltage dividers, volt ratio boxes and watt-hour references

working standards, instruments and testing equipment, such as electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test equipment, field strength meters, flammability test equipment, gauges/test fingers/test pins, hipot testers, impact hammers, impulse testers, instrument calibrators, network analysers, signal generators and spectrum and harmonic analysers

Hazards

Hazards may include:

electric shock

disturbance or interruption of services

manual handling of heavy equipment boxes

sources of electromagnetic radiation (lasers and RF generators/transmitters)

fluids under pressure

heat sources, such as ovens

Safety procedures

Safety procedures may include:

use of personal protective equipment, such as hearing protection, gloves, safety glasses and coveralls

ensuring access to service shut-off points

handling and storing hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labels, MSDS, manufacturer's instructions, and enterprise procedures and regulations

regular cleaning of equipment and work areas

Reference materials

Reference materials may include:

colour standards

graded granular materials

hardness blocks

Communication

Communication may be with:

supervisors and managers (laboratory, quality and customer service)

peers and other laboratory or relevant technical personnel

clients and end users of equipment

external auditors, or accreditation agency for example, NATA

manufacturers of equipment and suppliers of spare parts and materials

Working environment

The working environment will have a controlled environment but may include:

purpose-built designed facility

mobile facility in the field

Occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental management requirements

OHS and environmental management requirements:

all operations must comply with enterprise OHS and environmental management requirements, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation - these requirements must not be compromised at any time

all operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied

where relevant, users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and State and Territory Departments of Health