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Follow the links below to find material targeted to the unit's elements, performance criteria, required skills and knowledge

Elements and Performance Criteria

  1. Ensure safe work practices
  2. Plan work schedule
  3. Organise experiments and demonstrations
  4. Manage resources

Required Skills

Required skills

Required skills include

using problem solving techniques and contingency planning

clarifyingdesigning practical activities and assessing resource needs

working with teaching staff and students to assess risks develop and implement controls and monitor their effectiveness

preparing laboratory experiments and demonstrations on time with the correct materials and equipment

maintaining the laboratory fit for purpose

obtaining stocks of materials and equipment

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes

scientific terminology used in common practical activities

relevant legislation regulations and codes governing practical activities

technical details of sampling testing equipment and instrumentation used in common practical activities

enterprise procedures for the purchase handling and storage of materials and equipment

principles of budgeting operational planning and efficient resource use

principles of risk assessment risk management and hierarchy of control

relevant enterprise health safety and environment requirements

Evidence Required

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

clarifydesign practical activities and assess resource needs

work with teaching staff and students to assess risks develop and implement controls and monitor their effectiveness

prepare laboratory experiments and demonstrations on time with the correct materials and equipment

work with teaching staff and students to ensure all practical activities are performed safely through demonstrations and monitoring of practical activities

manage contingencies and resources within level of responsibility

maintain the laboratory fit for purpose

liaise with suppliers to obtain stocks of materials and equipment using enterprise procedures

work effectively with students and staff who may have diverse work styles cultures and perspectives

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

MSLA Maintain laboratoryfield workplace safety

MSL944001A Maintain laboratory/field workplace safety

relevant MSL series of units of competency

relevant MSL series of units of competency

Resources may include

laboratoryfield work environment equipment and materials

personal protective equipment and safety equipment

enterprise OHS management system policies and procedures

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested

review of operational plans schedules and budgets prepared by the candidate

review of risk assessments and treatment strategies prepared by the candidate

review of job cards detailing completed tasks

feedback from students teaching staff suppliers and supervisor

observation of the candidate assisting teaching staff and students during practical activities

written or oral questions to partly assess the candidates knowledge of relevant enterprise procedures technical details of common practical activities and hisher ability to handle a range of contingencies

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 andor 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

Education

A biology class returns from a short excursion where pond water samples have been collected The teacher plans for the students to identify some of the common microscopic organisms present in the samples and conduct a range of tests for pH electrical conductivity turbidity and the presence of nitrates The teaching assistant prepares checks and calibrates the monitoring equipment and sets out ten microscopes with clean slides cover slips and transfer pipettes together with waste buckets and bags for collection of biological material A sharps container is set out for broken slides and cover slips At the end of the class the assistant cleans checks and stows the microscopes and collects the waste material for disposal The assistant disposes of the waste according to enterprise procedures

Education

A technical officer has responsibility for the technical support of practical classes in two laboratories Every semester heshe prepares a detailed schedule for all classes and field trips in collaboration with the teaching staff This involves a careful assessment of risks and implementation of controls for each kind of activity to ensure that the institution meets its OHS and environmental management responsibilities The schedule must also satisfy the science department budget constraints seasonal variations and the availability of key staff and items of equipment The officers daily routine involves the preparation of all equipment experiments and demonstrations for classes the checking of equipment before and after its use general cleaning and maintenance of equipment and work areas and the maintenance of stock levels

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, 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 requirements may include:

Australian and international standards, such as:

AS 1678 Emergency procedure guide - Transport

AS 1940-2004 Storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids

AS 2252 Biological safety cabinets

AS 3780-2008 The storage and handling of corrosive substances

AS/NZS 1269 Set:2005 Occupational noise management set

AS/NZS 1337 Eye protection

AS/NZS 2161 Set:2008 Occupational protective gloves set

AS/NZS 2210:1994 Occupational protective footwear

AS/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set

AS/NZS 2243.1:2005 Safety in laboratories - Planning and operational aspects

AS/NZS 2243.3:2002 Safety in laboratories - Microbiological aspects and containment facilities

AS/NZS 2243.8:2006 Safety in laboratories - Fume cupboards

AS/NZS 2982.1:1997 Laboratory design and construction - General requirements

AS/NZS 4452:1997 The storage and handling of toxic substances

AS/NZS 4501 Set:2008 Occupational clothing set

AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set

animal welfare legislation and codes of practice

Australian Dangerous Goods Code

Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) Import Guidelines

gene technology regulations

Guide to physical containment levels and facility types

HB 9-1994 Occupational personal protection

National Code of Practice for the labelling of workplace substances (NOHSC:2012 (1994))

permits for wildlife capture and handling

principles of good laboratory practice (GLP)

Hazards

Hazards may include:

electric shock

microbiological organisms and agents associated with soil, air, water, blood and blood products, and human or animal tissue and fluids

solar radiation, dust and noise

exposure to extreme weather conditions

snake, insect and animal bites

chemicals, such as acids, heavy metals, pesticides and hydrocarbons

aerosols from broken centrifuge tubes and pipetting

radiation, such as alpha, beta, gamma and X-ray

sharps, broken glassware and hand tools

flammable liquids

cryogenics, such as dry ice and liquid nitrogen

fluids under pressure, such as steam, hydrogen in gas liquid chromatography and acetylene in atomic absorption spectrometry

sources of ignition

high temperature ashing processes

disturbance or interruption of services

occupational overuse syndrome, slips, trips and falls

manual handling, working at heights and working in confined spaces

crushing, entanglement and cuts associated with moving machinery or falling objects

vehicle and boat handling

Hazard control measures

Hazard control measures may include:

ensuring access to service shut-off points

recognising and observing hazard warnings and safety signs

use of material safety data sheets (MSDS)

labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials

handling and storing hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labelling, MSDS and manufacturer's instructions

identifying and reporting operating problems or equipment malfunctions

cleaning and decontaminating equipment and work areas regularly using enterprise procedures

using personal protective clothing and equipment, such as hats, hearing protection, gloves, safety glasses, coveralls, gowns, body suits, respirators and safety boots

applying containment procedures through the use of appropriate equipment, such as biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets and Class PCII and PCIII physical containment facilities

following established manual handling procedures for tasks involving manual handling

reporting abnormal emissions, discharges and airborne contaminants, such as noise, light, solids, liquids, water/waste water, gases, smoke, vapour, fumes, odour and particulates to appropriate personnel

Risk assessment

Risk assessment includes:

analysing the risk

identifying factors influencing the risk and the range of potential consequences

effectiveness of existing controls

likelihood of each consequence considering exposure and hazard level

combining these in some way to obtain a level of risk

comparison of the determined risk with pre-established criteria for tolerance (or as low as reasonably achievable) and the subsequent ranking of risks requiring control

Hierarchy of control

Hierarchy of control includes:

the preferred order of risk-control measures from most to least preferred, that is:

eliminating risk

substituting with a lesser hazard

isolating personnel from hazard

engineering controls

applying administrative controls, for example, procedures and training

using personal protective equipment

Typical materials

Typical materials may include:

live flora and fauna, such as plant specimens

animals, such as rats, bacteria, algae, insects and fungi

blood and blood products, human or animal tissue and fluids

teaching aids, such as textbooks and videos

distilled water, reagents, chemicals, disinfectants, detergents, agar media and plates

consumable items, such as syringes, pipette tips and weigh boats

oils/lubricants, fuels, industrial gases, cryogenics, such as dry ice and liquid nitrogen

equipment spares, such as fuses, bulbs and batteries

paper and stationery

reference samples and standards

Typical equipment

Typical equipment may include:

analytical instruments, such as ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) and atomic absorption spectrometers(AAS) , gas chromatography (GC) and high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)

animal cages

autoclaves

balances

blenders, centrifuges and separating equipment

cell counters and staining machines

dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, ovens, microwave ovens, incubators and water baths

fume hoods, biohazard containers and biological safety cabinets

gas cylinders

glassware (burettes, pipettes), plastic ware, glass, plastic and quartz cuvettes

hotplates, mantles, burners and muffle furnaces

light and fluorescence microscopes

microtomes and tissue processors

teaching aids, such as DVD players and computers

thermometers, pH meters and ion selective electrodes

ultrasonic cleaners

Incidents and emergencies

Incidents and emergencies may include:

workplace injury and accidents

biological and chemical spills

leakage of radioactivity

fire

bomb

security threats

Contingencies

Contingencies may include:

new information

urgent requests

modified activities

changed situations

late instructions from appropriate personnel

substitution of reagents

Sources of materials and equipment

Sources of materials and equipment may include:

field trips, including land and sea-based

botanic gardens and parks

abattoirs

commercial suppliers

other institutions

blood bank

shops

Demonstration of techniques and use of equipment

Demonstration of techniques and use of equipment may involve:

teaching staff

other technical staff

students during practical classes

students doing projects or postgraduate studies

Resource management

Resource management may include:

preparation of operational plans

schedules and budgets

handling of petty cash and reconciliation of bank statements

contacting suppliers and completing order requisition forms

use of an enterprise credit card

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