Assessor Resource

MSS017005A
Manage a major sustainability non-conformance

Assessment tool

Version 1.0
Issue Date: April 2024


This unit is a Vocational Graduate Certificate unit and follows the AQF guidelines for such units in that it assumes an entry qualification, such as:

an Advanced Diploma or Diploma in sustainability or relevant technical field

a Bachelor Degree in a relevant technical field

other relevant higher education qualifications, often with relevant vocational practice

relevant extensive vocational practice, without formal qualifications but which result in appropriate entry level skills.

This unit covers the recognition of a major non-conformance and then the devising and implementation of a strategy and tactics to contain the situation, not allowing it to accelerate or cascade and minimise the adverse consequences while doing what can be done to remedy the situation. The organisation’s environment, for the purpose of this unit, is considered to include the ecology it impacts, the economic impacts on the organisation and the social impacts of the organisation.

Typical situations might include a:

process or equipment failure somewhere along the value chain which has the potential to cause adverse sustainability impacts

change in legislation or regulation which will see the organisation in breach

change in requirements from a customer

change in supply quality from a supplier

social attitude change which affects in either a positive or negative manner business prospects or the business operating environment.

It would typically be undertaken by a manager or senior technologist who has a significant sustainability responsibility work role.

Skills covered by this unit may be applied individually or in a team context.

This unit of competency covers the response to, and management of, a major sustainability non-conformance which may have arisen through the action, or non-action, of the organisation or its value chain members, or due to a change in the external environment. A major non-conformance is one which could have severe business impacts. It may be applied to an entire organisation, part of a large organisation, or part or all of a value chain.

You may want to include more information here about the target group and the purpose of the assessments (eg formative, summative, recognition)

Prerequisites

Not applicable.

Employability Skills

Not applicable.



Evidence Required

List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.

Overview of assessment

A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to plan for sustainability related non-conformances and implement appropriate responses to non-conformances, including establishing priorities for immediate response and processes to establish root cause of the non-conformance.

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

Assessors must be satisfied that the candidate can competently and consistently apply the skills covered in this unit of competency in new and different situations and contexts. Critical aspects of assessment and evidence include:

analysing the situation

applying an appropriate quick fix

implementing an appropriate long term response

communicating the above as appropriate

Context of and specific resources for assessment

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

Assessment should emphasise a workplace context and procedures found in the candidate’s workplace.

This unit of competency may be assessed with other relevant units addressing sustainability at the enterprise level or other units requiring the exercise of the skills and knowledge covered by this unit.

The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team.

Method of assessment

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.

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.

Guidance information for assessment

Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assingnment, checklist) and due date here

Assessment task 1: [title]      Due date:

(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)

Assessment Tasks

Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.

Required skills

Required skills include:

conducting situation analysis

interpreting and manipulating data

prioritising

determining and managing risk

applying decision making in a complex environment, including contingency assessment, and adjustment of decision process to match changes in speed, scope or complexity of non -conformance

communicating complex information at all levels

applying formal problem-solving techniques, including root cause analysis

consulting and negotiating with internal and external stakeholders

drafting reports

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes:

process and changes which occur at each step in selected value chain

principles of sustainability

causes of adverse ecological impacts and methods of controlling/reducing them

causes of adverse social impacts and methods of controlling/reducing them

causes of adverse economic impacts and methods of controlling/reducing them

root cause analysis

hierarchy of hazard control and its application to sustainability hazards

sustainability hierarchy

relevant legislation, regulation and protocols, government incentives and other initiatives

risk analysis and its application to sustainability risks

customer needs as distinct from wants

sources of additional resources

Sustainability

Sustainability incorporates the three aspects of:

survival of the ecology/physical environment (to manage the impact of the business to ensure the survival of the physical environment)

economic viability (efficiency, cost and waste reduction and competitiveness to support survival of the business)

social sustainability (to manage the impact of the business to ensure its continued survival within the community and the survival of the community)

Portion of the value chain

Value chain is the sequence of activities that a firm undertakes to create value/product (good or service). Portion of the value chain includes sections internal or external to the organisation.

Impact of non-conformance

Impact of non-conformance may have a wide range which might include:

negligible impact

fines or other organisation legal penalties

personal fines, jail terms or other personal penalties

court litigation or similar

remediation costs

loss of market share

loss of brand viability

loss of licence to operate

Other stakeholders

Other stakeholders may include, but are not limited to:

regulatory bodies, such as local councils and environmental protection agencies

customers/clients

suppliers

service suppliers

Responses

Responses include:

the resources used in reaction to the non-conformance as well as the actual process/method of the response

Immediate response

Immediate response may not address long-term issues but simply aims to control the current situation and prevent escalation

Plan for conformance

Plan for conformance is to resume normal operations in such a way that there is sustainability conformance either because:

the temporary situation has been corrected

the process has been adapted to the permanent change in the environment

Sustainability issues of particular relevance

Sustainability issues of particular relevance include:

particular sensitivities of the local ecology, such as:

endangered species

sensitive local flora/fauna

material scarcity

water availability

general ecology issues and regulations, such as:

climate change and carbon footprint

pollution control measures

particular local social issues, such as:

distortions to the housing market

disruption to local lifestyles

general social issues, such as:

corporate citizenship

use or/deterioration to infrastructure

particular local economic issues, such as:

cost of capital

profit margins

competition

general economic issues, such as:

state of the economy

stage of the business cycle

other issues, such as those identified by AS/NZS ISO 14000 Environmental Management Standards

Significance of impact

Significance of impact includes:

permanent loss or degradation

loss or degradation which inhibits use by the following generation

temporary degradation requiring remediation

temporary degradation which is self-remediating

speed of change/degradation/loss

Appropriate response

Appropriate response includes:

application of the hierarchy of hazard control to sustainability hazards

when the impact cannot be prevented application of mitigation and amelioration techniques, such as:

capture and storage (e.g. scrubbing) and similar ‘end of pipe’ solutions

dilution/dispersion and similar techniques which reduce concentration but not amount

other approaches which meet the sustainability requirements

Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.

Observation Checklist

Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice Yes No Comments/feedback
Determine commencement, type and expected duration of non-conformance 
Liaise with internal stakeholders to determine impact 
Liaise with value chain members to determine impact 
Determine impact on current operations and order fulfilment 
Determine impact of non-conformance on local community and other stakeholders 
Determine regulatory implications of non-conformance 
Summarise impact on organisation and value chain member’s viability 
Develop possible responses appropriate to the situation 
Determine possible timing of possible responses 
Identify required resources for the responses developed 
Evaluate possible responses and select/short-list responses 
Select response and organise resources, as appropriate 
Determine regulatory compliance needs 
Determine the information needs of other stakeholders 
Identify the sources of required information 
Arrange to collect required information 
Report information to stakeholders, as appropriate 
Arrange for updating of information disseminated on a timely basis, as appropriate 
Initiate responses and establish data and other information collection procedures 
Analyse data and other information as it comes to hand 
Determine progress of responses to achieving required outcomes 
Modify responses as required to better achieve desired outcomes 
Determine root cause of non-conformance 
Determine impacts on sustainability strategy and tactics 
Develop plan to ensure continued conformance 
Initiate implementation of plan 
Monitor implementation of plan and take appropriate action 
Conduct a debrief and complete reports, as required 
Evaluate and review response and procedures 
Evaluate and document effectiveness of the response function and its interaction/communication with stakeholders 
Recommend improvements to prevent a recurrence and improve response for other non-conformances 
Communicate reports, as appropriate 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

MSS017005A - Manage a major sustainability non-conformance
Assessment task 1: [title]

Student name:

Student ID:

I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.

Student signature:

Result: Competent Not yet competent

Feedback to student

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Assessment Record Sheet

MSS017005A - Manage a major sustainability non-conformance

Student name:

Student ID:

Assessment task 1: [title] Result: Competent Not yet competent

(add lines for each task)

Feedback to student:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Student signature:

Date: