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Elements and Performance Criteria

  1. Provide support to environmental health planning
  2. Provide environmental health advice
  3. Implement environmental health measures
  4. Monitor environmental health measures

Required Skills

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit

Required Skills

communicate appropriately about consult on and impart knowledge of

application of the permethrinDEET repellent system

causes of disease transmission

causes of manpower wastage

control measures of disease transmission

food storage and distribution standards

risk management principles

water quality assurance measures

establish and maintain administrative systems

manage workplace issues and problems

prioritise tasking

Required Knowledge

administrative systems

application of the permethrinDEET repellent system

best use of available resources

causes of disease transmission

causes of manpower wastage

control measures of disease transmission

documentation processes relevant to own workplace

food storage and distribution standards including the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point HACCP approach to food control

health surveillance system

legal rights and responsibilities

methods of establishing field hygiene and waste facilities

organisational policies and procedures

pathophysiology of common communicable diseases

airborne disease such as influenza

contact disease such as impetigo or tinea

food and waterborne disease such as dysentery cholera and typhoid

vectorborne disease such as malaria or dengue fever

planning and control systems

process of disease

risk management principles

role and capabilities of other health care providers including environmental health team

team leadership management principles

time management strategies to set priorities

water quality assurance measures

Evidence Required

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

Assessment must confirm the ability to

assess a range of common health threats within the field environment and determine the most appropriate method of control for each

communicate technical information relating to environmental health to nonhealth personnel to gain their support of environmental health activities

operate as a member of a small planning team and be responsive to the team leader

coordinate a range of environmental health measures in a practical field setting

Consistency in performance

Competency should be demonstrated on a minimum of two occasions during exposure to three common health threats that could be expected in a field setting

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Context of assessment

Competency should be assessed in an actual workplace situation or in a simulated situation or scenario

Specific resources for assessment

Access is required to

appropriate equipment and stores

dependent personnel

range of notional health threats based on recent and historical experience

relevant organisational policies and procedures


Range Statement

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 in the Performance Criteria is detailed below.

Planning briefs and activities may include:

Briefs/debriefs

Course of action analysis

Intelligence Preparation of the Battlespace

Mission analysis

Orders

War gamming

Information in support of environmental health planning may include:

Characteristics of the intended operating environment:

civilian population

climate/weather

flora and fauna

terrain

Force disposition:

function of the group

organisational structure of the group

size of the group

Task appreciation:

assessing range of tasks against identified health threats

environmental health assets required to support tasks

prioritising and sequencing of tasks

Health support assessment may include:

Strengths:

communication capability

control measures

health status of activity participants

organisational structure

Weaknesses:

chain of supply

limited means of evacuation

Opportunities:

linking into local community supply chain

staging health support close to activity to reduce the risk posed by limited means of evacuation

Threats:

ability to cope with multi trauma

remoteness of activity site

Health threats may include:

Environment health threats:

animal

disease

terrain

vegetation

weather

Occupational health threats:

industrial injury

road traffic accident

Operational health threats:

chemical/biological injury

combat injury

psychiatric injury

Research may include:

Accessing information from the ADF intranet

Consulting civil health authorities

Consulting health and ADF doctrine

Consulting senior ADF health representative

Referencing organisational policy manuals

Organisational policies and procedures may include:

Clinical standards (state/territory and national)

Codes of ethics

Codes of practice

Environmental health policy

Health and hygiene guidelines

Health surveillance policy documents

Industry professional body’ standards

Industry standards (state/territory and national)

Organisational health policy directives

Pesticides manual

Relevant Australian Standards

Relevant Commonwealth Acts

Workplace safety guidelines

Environmental health measures may include:

Application of the permethrin/DEET repellent system

Assessment and development of a health support plan

Contributing to the conduct of health surveillance

Enforcing WHS policy and practices

Enforcing vaccination regimes

Promoting and monitoring personal hygiene

Providing environmental health advice

Providing environmental injury control measures

Providing field waste facilities

Providing field water supply

Stakeholders may include:

Activity coordinators

Activity participants

Allied health agencies

Health support personnel

Other supporting agencies

Personal hygiene facilities may include:

Hand washing facilities

Laundry facilities

Shower facilities

Field may include:

On an ADF exercise in Australia or overseas

On ADF operational deployment

On civil aid task

On training activity

Field waste facilities may include:

Biohazardous waste:

central collection point

Dry waste:

central collection point

inclined plane incinerator

Human waste:

pan latrine

portaloo

shallow/deep bore latrine

shallow/deep trench latrine

shallow trench urinal

trench latrine

trough/funnel urinal

Waste (grey) water:

absorption trench

evaporating pans

grease trap

herringbone drains

soakage pit

Field waste may include:

Biohazardous waste

Dry waste

Grey water

Human waste

Wet waste

Water quality measures may include:

Approving the use of alternative water distribution equipment during extreme emergencies

Ensuring water sources have been surveyed

Ensuring water distribution equipment is regularly surveyed by health personnel

Organising regular waterpoint survey by appropriate personnel

Recommending procedures for the maintenance of water potability

Food quality measures may include:

Applying the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) approach to food control

Assessing food handling procedures (preparation, storage, distribution)

Assessing the environment for suitability for food preparation

Assessing the suitability and adequacy food storage

Contributing to inspection of a food preparation facility

Monitoring the hygiene practices of personnel during food consumption

Environmental injury may include:

Dehydration

Frost nip/bite

Heat injury

Hyperthermia

Hypothermia

Prickly heat

Sunburn

Trench foot

Environmental injury control measures may include:

Acclimatisation

Advising appropriate clothing attire

Advising appropriate work/rest regime

Distribution of and access to sunscreen

Educating personnel on environmental injury prevention and early detection

Ensuring balanced nutrition with adequate intake of salt

Maintaining good means of communication to alert personnel of increasing hazard level

Monitoring the hazard level posed by environmental conditions

Promoting hydration

Providing easy access to potable water supply

Scheduling physical activity during cooler times of the day

Training personnel in the first aid of environmental injury

Monitoring personnel health may include:

Assessing personnel attending primary health care clinics

Consulting with personnel in the workplace

Identifying trends from health complaints that may indicate an outbreak of disease

Investigating suspected outbreak of disease

Physical health inspections may include:

An inspection conducted by line managers involving a visual inspection of personnel and questioning to identify:

blisters or skin problems

parasite infestation

presence of sunburn

swollen joints

state of morale

An opportunity to educate personnel on the importance of personal hygiene and good health

Control measures may include:

Identifying the source and removing or isolating it, to avoid transmitting the disease to others

Breaking the path of transmission by the use of pesticides, hygiene procedures, masks or removing the habitat of the disease vector

Protecting the target of disease with inoculation, prophylactic medication, pest repellent, clothing impregnation

Relevant persons may include:

Activity commander

Environmental health officer

Team leader

Technical supervisor

Health surveillance may include:

Collecting health care information

Continually assessing the operating environment

Identifying health threats

Providing information to control health threats