Assessor Resource

MSS027011A
Select, commission and maintain environmental monitoring instruments

Assessment tool

Version 1.0
Issue Date: March 2024


This unit of competency is applicable to environmental site coordinators, environmental managers and senior environmental officers working in a range of industry sectors, such as:

environmental monitoring, sampling and field testing (e.g. air, water, soil and noise)

geotechnical services

natural resource management

occupational hygiene monitoring (e.g. air, noise and radiation)

water supply and treatment, storm and wastewater management

solid and hazardous waste management

site remediation or rehabilitation

resource efficiency (e.g. energy, water and waste auditing).

Note that the term ‘manager’ is used to refer to management of a function, project and /or program and does not necessarily imply line management.

This unit of competency covers the ability to provide fully functioning environmental monitoring instruments to implement an enterprise’s environmental management plan and monitoring programs. This involves identifying the need for specific kinds of instruments, determining the suitability of available instruments, procuring and commissioning instruments, checking the serviceability and calibration of instruments, performing routine maintenance, training staff to operate instruments correctly, and maintaining relevant records.

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

Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard.

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:

selecting monitoring instruments that will enable the enterprise to successfully implement its environmental management plan

maintaining sufficient numbers of fully functioning instruments to satisfy the enterprise’s predictable requirements

training instrument operators to use monitoring instruments safely and reliably

maintaining accurate and complete records.

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:

MSS027000 series units dealing with coordination of specific environmental management activities (e.g. water, air and noise).

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

Resources may include:

environmental management plans

environmental monitoring specifications, manuals and instruments

enterprise procedures for procurement of equipment and materials.

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested:

review of records of instrument selection, use and maintenance generated by the candidate

feedback from peers and manager that working instruments are available when required

review of instrument training materials/records generated by candidate

oral/written tests and calculations involving environmental parameters; set-up, calibration and basic maintenance of environmental monitoring instruments

observation of the candidate checking, using and maintaining monitoring instruments and/or instructing others in their use.

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:

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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:

recognising common types of environmental monitoring instruments and the advantages, disadvantages and limitations of their use

locating, interpreting and comparing information about environmental monitoring instruments

selecting suitable instruments by analysing factors, such as intended use (fixed/portable, laboratory/field), range of parameters, accuracy, sensitivity, response time, robustness, serviceability and limitations

conducting pre-use and calibration checks, troubleshooting common faults, conducting basic repairs and maintaining the enterprise’s monitoring instruments

safely operating the enterprise’s monitoring instruments to obtain reliable data

processing and analysing measurement and uncertainty data

interpreting manuals and writing operating instructions for monitoring instruments

seeking advice when issues/problems are beyond scope of competence/responsibility

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes:

environmental monitoring terms and concepts, and measurement parameters

procedures for conducting surveys, monitoring, sampling and in-situ measurements

instrumentation terms and concepts, such as operating voltage, accuracy, response time, sensitivity, detection limit, linearity and instrument uncertainty

characteristics, capabilities, limitations, function of key components and operating principles for monitoring instruments used in the enterprise

role and importance of regular calibration and pre-use checks and maintenance

common instrument faults, troubleshooting, recommended remedial actions and repairs

common instrument operator errors

relevant health, safety and workplace emergency response procedures

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

Legislation, standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements

Legislation, standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements may include:

federal legislation, such as:

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

Australian Heritage Council Act 2003

Native Title Act 1993

state/territory government legislation and regulations and local government by-laws, policies, and plans dealing with:

land use, acquisition, planning and protection

environmental protection

cultural/heritage protection

vegetation management

nature conservation and wildlife/plant protection

water and water management

soil conservation

pollution and contaminated sites

fisheries, forestry and mining operations

Australian and international standards, such as:

AS 3550 series Water analysis

AS/NZS 3580 series Methods for sampling and analysis of ambient air

AS/NZS 2922 Guide for the siting of sampling units (air monitoring)

AS 1055 series Acoustics - Description and measurement of environmental noise

AS IEC 61672.1:2004 Electroacoustics - Sound level meters - Specifications

AS IEC 61672.2:2004 Electroacoustics - Sound level meters - Pattern evaluation tests

AS IEC 60942:2004 Electroacoustics - Sound calibrators

AS/NZS 4323.3:2001 Stationary source emissions - Determination of odour concentration by dynamic olfactometry

environmental management plans, and site information about applicable legislative requirements and approval requirements

information about site processes and work schedules

monitoring/inspection procedures and management actions to prevent/control environmental impacts or risks

sampling and in-situ measurement procedures (e.g. water, air, noise and soils)

Environmental monitoring instruments

Environmental monitoring instrumentsmay include:

water quality measuring instruments, such as:

specific meters or multi-probes for measuring water parameters, such as dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, pH, turbidity, nitrates, phosphates and temperature

field test kits to determine water parameters, such as dissolved gases, chemical anions and cations, heavy metals, E. coli and biological oxygen demand (BOD)

portable colorimeters and field microscopes

air monitoring instruments, such as:

air sampling pumps, flow meters and sampling trains

continuous gas monitors

tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM)

portable gas monitors and analysers

weather stations

odour monitoring instruments, such as dynamic olfactometers

noise monitoring instruments, such as:

type 1 and type 2 portable sound level meters

integrating and non-integrating sound level meters

noise dose meters

statistical analysers

sound monitoring stations

data loggers, recorders, telemetry equipment and global positioning system (GPS)

radiation instruments and survey meters, such as:

Geiger-Muller (beta and gamma)

scintillation (alpha, beta and gamma)

Environmental management plans

Environmental management plans provide a framework for managing all environmental aspects, impacts, risks and obligations relevant to a site, project or significant work activity. They may include:

an aim, vision and enterprise policy statement

roles and responsibilities

potential environmental issues

actions to avoid, remedy and mitigate the issues

procedures and forms to minimise and manage specific environmental impacts and risks

quality management plans

communication and training requirements

monitoring schedules, sampling/test procedures, and analysis and notification requirements (e.g. exceedance values and quality triggers)

auditing and reporting requirements

Environmental monitoring programs

Environmental monitoring programsmay include surveys, sampling and measurements for:

establishing baseline or quality parameters

determining trends in parameters

investigating causes for changes in parameters

identifying and quantifying contamination at specific locations

identifying sources of possible/actual contamination

determining the effectiveness of environmental management plans, actions and control measures

determining the effectiveness of remediation activities

Specifications and features of instruments

Specifications and features of instrumentsmay include:

types of sampling and/or measurements to be performed

parameters or analytes of interest

detector type, sensitivity and detection limits

response time

linearity

estimated uncertainty for each range

single or multi-probe functions

ease of interfacing with data loggers and computers

power and battery requirements

size, weight, robustness and portability

instrument operating conditions

Adult learning principles

Adult learning principles may include:

explaining aims and objectives of training program

linking learning with everyday work tasks

using a logical sequence of learning activities

presenting new information in manageable chunks

providing opportunities to practise new skills and solve common problems

reinforcing important points

using a range of questions to check understanding

providing regular, constructive feedback

Regular instrument checks and minor maintenance

Regular instrument checks and minor maintenance may include:

cleaning

battery checks and replacement

zero, span and range checks

use of one or more references to check calibration/response in each range

adjustment of calibration if authorised to do so

simple fault-finding using instrument manual, error codes and recommended remedial actions

Required records

Required records may include details of:

purchase records, warranties and service agreements for instruments

instrument calibration status

instrument inspection (faults, servicing and repairs)

instrument use (operator, time/date, location)

instrument maintenance schedule and records

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

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 the types and specifications of instruments required by the enterprise to implement the environmental monitoring program associated with site/project 
Research information about the features of instruments that may be suitable and their suppliers 
Liaise with suppliers and/or conduct tests to compare the stated performance of available instruments against enterprise specifications 
Seek advice/assistance with evaluating instruments if beyond own technical competence 
Select the most suitable instruments and arrange for their procurement 
Use manufacturer documentation to develop a thorough understanding of instrument operation, functional test procedures, routine instrument checks and maintenance requirements 
Ensure that the instrument has been calibrated appropriately for intended use 
Conduct component checks and test measurements to confirm instrument performance for intended use 
Enter all required information about the new instrument in the enterprise information management system 
Develop and document clear procedures for operating, caring for and maintaining the instrument 
Identify the knowledge and skills required to operate the instrument safely and reliably in the workplace and to interpret the environmental parameters measured 
Develop an appropriate training program for instrument operators using established adult learning principles 
Ensure that each operator can use the instrument competently for the required measurement applications 
Record all training outcomes in accordance with regulator requirements and enterprise procedures 
Audit operator’s use of instruments at regular intervals to ensure their ongoing competence 
Conduct regular instrument checks and minor maintenance in accordance with enterprise procedures 
Check instrument calibration using specified standards and/or procedures and record all relevant information 
Troubleshoot basic faults and determine whether local repair/maintenance is technically possible and economic 
Arrange for repair or servicing from an accredited agent or other appropriate personnel in accordance with enterprise procedures 
Check instrument performance after repair/service before approving it for use 
Ensure all required instrument records are complete, accurate, legible and secure 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

MSS027011A - Select, commission and maintain environmental monitoring instruments
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Assessment Record Sheet

MSS027011A - Select, commission and maintain environmental monitoring instruments

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

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