Google Links

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

Elements and Performance Criteria

  1. Identify, control and report OHS and environmental hazards
  2. Conduct work safely
  3. Follow incident and emergency response procedures
  4. Contribute to OHS in the workplace

Required Skills

Required skills

Required skills include

recognising potential incidents and taking appropriate corrective action

demonstrating workplace fire drill incident first aid and emergency evacuation procedures

hazard identification and risk control following OHS and environmental policies and procedures

using storing and maintaining personal protective equipment

storing transporting and disposing of dangerous goods following enterprise instructions and procedures

using equipment to protect health and safety

promptly communicating health and safety and environmental issues to designated personnel

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes

roles rights and responsibilities of self and employer

signage symbols and signals relating to OHS

hazards commonly found in own job and work area and standard risk controls

location and purpose of personal protective equipment and emergencyhazard control equipment in the work area including first aid facilities and personnel

use care and storage requirements for personal protective clothing and equipment used

location of advice and information on OHS issues including material safety data sheets MSDS

requirements and procedures for reporting OHS hazards and incidents including injuries illness and near misses

the processes for raising a health and safety issue or concern

safe work practices including handling storage and disposal of hazardous substances and requirements for labelling of hazardous substances

work practices for use of handling equipment and any taskspecific manual handling techniques as required by work role according to enterprise procedures

standard operating procedures SOPs for equipment used and key safety elements of the procedures

environmental impacts and effects of interaction with hazards in the work area

enterprise procedures and instructions that govern personal work incidents and emergencies

reporting requirements for OHS issues and potentially hazardous situations

site layout including emergency exits location and use of safety alarms emergency response system procedures and personnel

enterprise OHS and environmental policies and procedures

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

work safely

recognise potential incidents and hazards and take appropriate corrective action

follow workplace incident first aid and emergency response procedures

promptly communicate OHS and environmental issues to designated personnel

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

other relevant technical units of competency

Resources may include

laboratoryfield work environment equipment and materials

personal protective equipment

enterprise procedures

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested

observation of the candidate preparing for and undertaking a range of work tasks

written andor oral questioning to assess underpinning knowledge and likely reactions in hazardousemergency situations

feedback from peers and supervisors

review of candidates responses to case studies scenarios andor what ifs

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 show its relevance in a workplace setting

Manufacturing

A laboratory assistant working in a laboratory was asked to produce a particular solventborne paint Because of the hazardous nature of the task the assistant referred to the MSDS which specified that a particular respirator and gloves be used The assistant followed the requirements and safely prepared the batch of paint

Food processing

One task of a laboratory assistant in a food processing company is the determination of total nitrogen in food samples by the Kjeldahl method The assay involves digestion of the food with an aliquot of hydrogen peroxide and several other reagents at more than C The assistant is familiar with the MSDS for hydrogen peroxide and uses this chemical with appropriate caution and personal protective equipment Small spills of hydrogen peroxide sometimes occur The assistant knows to clean these up immediately by liberally diluting the spill with water mopping it up with a cloth and washing the hydrogen peroxide from the cloth into a sink with copious amounts of water This attention to cleanliness is essential to minimise the risk of injury because hydrogen peroxide has the appearance of water Unlike water it is corrosive to skin and presents a serious fire or explosion hazard if it should come into contact with many of the chemicals used in the laboratory

Biomedical

After performing and verifying cell counts of plated samples a technical assistant proceeded to dispose of the waste The wastes were placed in a biohazard bag The bag was sealed with a sterilisation indicator sticker that was clearly visible and placed in the autoclave The assistant checked the colour of the indicator sticker to ensure that the waste was correctly processed before disposing of the bag in accordance with SOPs


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 ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories

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 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

HB 9-1994 Occupational personal protection

Australian Dangerous Goods Code

Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) Import Guidelines

Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) Codes of Practice

gene technology regulations

Guide to physical containment levels and facility types

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

OHS national standards and codes of practice

Routine checks

Routine checks may include:

general housekeeping checks, such as obstructions which may cause trip hazards

checking of safety equipment, such as eye wash stations

checking reagents and equipment are safe to use

checking availability of emergency equipment

checking functionality of personal protective equipment

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

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

aerosols from broken centrifuge tubes and pipetting

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

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

pedestrian and vehicular traffic

vehicle and boat handling

Addressing hazards

Addressing hazards may include:

hazard and incident reporting and investigation procedures

elimination

substitution, such as review of nature of substances or processes used

isolation:

use of appropriate equipment, such as biohazard containers, laminar flow cabinets, Class I, II and III biohazard cabinets

Class PCII, PCIII, and PCIV physical containment laboratories

engineering

administrative procedures, such as:

ensuring access to service shut-off points

recognising and observing hazard warnings and safety signs

labelling of samples, reagents, aliquoted samples and hazardous materials

handling and storage of all 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 recommended procedures

applying containment procedures

following established manual handling procedures for tasks involving manual handling

use of appropriate equipment and procedures to avoid personal contamination and contamination of others

following risk control measures to minimise environmental hazards

use of practices which minimise waste

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

minimising exposure to radiation, such as lasers, electromagnetic and ultraviolet

use MSDS

use of signage, barriers and service isolation tags

use of personal protective equipment, such as hard hats, hearing protection, sunscreen lotion, gloves, safety glasses, goggles, face guards, coveralls, gown, body suits, respirators and safety boots

Designated personnel

Designated personnel may include:

laboratory manager

supervisor

OHS coordinator

OHS representative

Enterprise policies and procedures

Enterprise policies and procedures may refer to:

OHS specific procedures, such as hazard and incident reporting, communication, consultation and issue resolution and risk management

controlling known hazards

minimising environmental threats

minimising and disposing of waste

responding to safety, emergency, fire and incidents

selecting/using personal protective clothing and equipment

Incidents

Incidents may include:

workplace injury and accidents

cutting, stabbing, puncturing, crushing, immersion in water, suffocation, hypothermia, burns, heat stress, animal bites, allergic reactions and assaults

biological, chemical or radioactive spills, fire, bomb threat, security threat and explosion

Emergency equipment

Emergency equipment may include:

first aid equipment

eye wash kit or shower

fire extinguisher

Participating in OHS activities

Participating in OHS activities may include:

seeking assistance to clarify obligations and procedures

clarifying work instructions that impact on safety and legal liability

OHS and environmental issues which may need to be raised by employees with designated personnel

OHS and environmental issues which may need to be raised by employees with designated personnel may include:

identification of hazards not otherwise addressed

assessment of risk and decisions on measures to control risk

risk reduction measures

problems with implementation of controls

problems with recycling, by-product collection and waste disposal

investigation of injury and incidents

clarification of understanding of OHS policies and procedures

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