Required skills

Required skills include

interpreting clients test requests test methods and procedures accurately

planning work sequences involving multipleparallel tasks

interpreting safety information such as material safety data sheets MSDS and working safely

checking and using test equipment in accordance with enterprise procedures

maintaining concentration and applying multistage test methods accurately

estimatingcalculating scientific quantities eg stress strain and stiffness

interpreting gross features of data and graphs eg Mohr circles and making logical conclusions

identifying atypical data errors and unexpected results and tracing any obvious causes

recording and presenting results accurately and legibly

maintaining security integrity and traceability of all samplestestpieces dataresults and technical records

cleaning and maintaining equipment

seeking advice from a supervisor

communicating with clients or outside service technician

demonstrating a professional approach and positive companyorganisation image

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes

relationship between properties and uses of construction materials

construction materials test methods routinely used in job role including

purpose and principles of test

relationship between the properties and uses of construction materials

sample preparation procedures

key treatmentmeasurement stages

calculation steps to give results in appropriate units and precision

expected values for sample type

sources of uncertainty and methods for their control

principles and concepts underpinning the test method such as

mass weight forces pressure energy density friction and slip resistance

elasticity hardness strength of materials plasticity permeability and dispersion

electrical safety concepts including voltage current resistance conductorsinsulators andACDC

chemical ions pH and solubility

principles and concepts related to equipmentinstrument operation and testing including the function of key components of the equipmentinstrument and effects on test of modifying equipmentinstrument variables

preuse checks and operating procedures for test equipmentinstruments routinely used in job role

basic equipmentmethod troubleshooting procedures

procedures for ensuring traceability of samples test pieces test data and results

procedures for recording and reporting test results calculations test observations and unexpected or atypical results and equipment problems

health site safety and environmental management requirements relevant to job role

confidentiality requirements relevant to job role

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

plan efficient work sequences

prepare a range of laboratory samples or test pieces and conduct tests to determine their properties safely and accurately and within required timeframe

interpret trends in data and results to identify obvious errors or unexpected results and take corrective action

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 units of competency such as

MSLA Process and interpret data

MSL924001A Process and interpret data

MSLA Participate in laboratoryfield workplace safety

MSL943002A Participate in laboratory/field workplace safety

MSLA Receive and prepare samples for testing

MSL953001A Receive and prepare samples for testing.

Resources may include

data sets and records

test methods and description of test setup

computer and relevant software or laboratory information system

relevant enterprise procedures

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested

review of test data results and records generated by the candidate

feedback from supervisors and clients regarding the candidates ability to conduct a range of multistage tests to determine the properties of samples reliably safely and efficiently

questions to assess understanding of enterprise procedures and multistage test methodsrelevant to their job role including key treatment and measurement steps expected values sources of uncertainty and corrective actions

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

Construction materials testing

A materials technician employed at a consulting laboratory reviews the ten job sheetsassigned to himher at the start of the day The first client is a road construction company and requires a soaked California Bearing Ratio CBR test on a sandy gravel sample density ratio using modified compactive effort and OMC The technician locates and reads through the appropriate test methods AS and AS and assembles the necessary equipmentHeshe uses a mm sieve to obtain suitable material for the test and prepares representative subsamples to determine the dry density and optimum moisture content and CBR

To determine theCBR heshe adds the required amount of water to the test portion to achieve the required laboratory density ratio and sets it aside to cure for the recommended time Using the modified compactive effort procedure heshe fills the mould in five layers taking care that each layer thickness meets specification Heshe then positions the required surcharges on top of the specimen and places it in a water bath to soak for four days After retrieving the specimen the technician checks the swell and performs the penetration test before the specimen dries outAfter positioning the specimen zeroing the measuring instruments heshe applies the load with a constant penetration of mmmin and records the load kN at penetrations of and mm Afterwardsthe technician removes the sample carefully and determines the moisture content for both the top mm layer and the rest of the specimen Heshe plots the load vs penetration data and applies corrections at mm and mm to compensate for its initial upward concave shape Heshe reads off force values of kN at mm and kN at mm respectively and calculates CBR values of and After checking all measurements data plots and calculated values the technician decides that the results are consistent with expected values Heshe reports each of the required results to the precision specified in the test method eg CBR and mm penetration and other test details such as the surcharges used and the period of soaking After completing the test report heshe forwards it to the laboratory manager for review prior to its release to the client

Construction materials testing

A laboratory receives a job request from a building developer to determine the shrinkswell index for soil samples collected from a proposed housing estate A technician logs the job and locates the appropriate test method AS Given the commercial importance of establishing whether or not there are any significant cutfill variations across the development site heshe reviews the method carefully The technician notes that they need to be careful when removing the sample from the U tube to preserve its undisturbed state and to also check for stones and inert materials Heshe works through the steps required for separately conditioning and measuring the two specimens required for determining the index and notes that if the shrink specimen cracks while drying to constant length the results will be invalid After assembling and checking the required equipment heshe performs the test successfully

Codes of practice

Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements

Hazards

Enterprise safe work procedures

Tests

Samples and test pieces

Test and sample preparation equipment/materials

Appropriate corrective actions

Technical/administrative records

Minimising environmental impacts

Occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental management requirements