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Elements and Performance Criteria

1. Respond to contact with overhead wires.
   • Vehicle operation is stopped immediately when contact with overhead wires is made to prevent potential danger according to organisational and compliance requirements.
   • Nature of electrical event and potential threat is assessed from inside vehicle cab according to organisational and compliance requirements.
   • People in close proximity are directed to stay clear until area is electrically safe and situation is resolved according to organisational and compliance requirements.
   • Relevant personnel are contacted and informed of exact location and nature of incident according to organisational and compliance requirements.
2. Respond to potential threat from overhead wires.
   • Location of possible fallen wires is identified and all parts of vehicle are treated as live according to organisational and compliance requirements.
   • Where emergency evacuation is necessary, vehicle is exited safely according to organisational and compliance requirements.
3. Complete post-incident tasks.
   • Incident report is completed according to organisational and compliance requirements.
   • Vehicle is inspected for damage caused by electricity prior to operation according to organisational requirements.

Range Statement

This section specifies work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below.
Compliance requirements must include:	commonwealth, state and territory legislation relating to heavy vehicle operation and transporting waste, including: environmental protection hazardous substances and dangerous goods industry codes work health and safety licensing requirements road laws.
Relevant personnel must include at least one of the following:	emergency services personnel organisational personnel.
Exited safely must include:	not touching the ground and vehicle at the same time when exiting; and jumping clear of the vehicle and landing on feet in a stationary position, with feet held closely together; and with feet held tightly together, taking a series of small hops (bunny hops) to be at least 10 metres clear of the vehicle and other potentially energised items; or where performing bunny hops is not possible, shuffling without breaking feet apart.

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Performance Evidence

A person demonstrating competency in this unit must satisfy the requirements of the elements, performance criteria, foundation skills and range of conditions of this unit.

The person must also apply safe operational practices when a vehicle contacts overhead wires in the following two contexts:

wires in contact with the vehicle

wires that have fallen on the road.

For each of the above contexts, the person must:

immediately stop vehicle operation and correctly assess the nature of the electrical event and potential threat

remain inside the cab and direct people in close proximity to stay clear until the situation can be safely resolved

contact relevant personnel to report the incident nature and location

identify the location of wires and treat all parts of the vehicle as live

identify the side of the vehicle where a safe exit can be made

demonstrate safe exit from the vehicle

complete an incident report

follow organisational procedures and comply with regulatory and legal requirements while responding to the emergency situation.

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Knowledge Evidence

A person demonstrating competency in this unit must demonstrate knowledge of:

causes and effects of electricity

effects of electricity on vehicle tyres and waste, including pyrolysis

organisational policies and procedures and regulatory and legal requirements relating to working safely and emergency response when operating vehicles

potential threats arising from vehicles contacting overhead wires

specific dangers of electricity where wires are broken, resting on vehicle or laying on the ground

step potential relating to emergency evacuation of vehicles

types of electrical events that may create an emergency situation, including:

event that involves electrical equipment and in which significant property damage is caused directly by electricity or originates from electricity

circumstances in which a person is not electrically safe if:

circumstances involve high voltage electrical equipment

person has not received a shock or injury but may still be unsafe

types of overhead wires and the ways that they can pose a hazard to waste management vehicles and their components:

catenary wires

pay television (TV)

power company wire that may be:

high voltage wire - wire carrying a voltage above low voltage in accordance with state regulations

low voltage wire - wire carrying a voltage greater than extra low voltage, but not more than 1000V AC RMS or 1500V ripple-free DC; this includes service lines or feeders, i.e. 240V or 415V, street lighting wires 240V and telecommunications cabling, i.e. 90V

service lines

streetlight power supply lines

telecommunication wires.

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