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Elements and Performance Criteria

Required Skills

Required skills

Required skills include

planning and preparing for field and laboratory activities

site observational and descriptive skills

researching and summarising existing data and reports

communicating effectively and writingcompiling concise and accurate reports

field sampling and monitoring procedures including labelling and traceability

demonstrating correct and safe use of field instruments andor equipment under laboratory and field conditions including field calibration

identifying and rectifying basic instrument faults

collecting representative samples in accordance with a sampling plan

using appropriate techniques to preserve the integrity of samples

identifying atypical materials and samples and taking appropriate action

maintaining sampling equipment

completing sampling records

seeking advice when issuesproblems are beyond scope of competenceresponsibility

following requirements for the disposal of waste and the preservation of the environment

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes

appropriate scientific terminology for soils and soil science

soil classifications

fundamentals of soil science including

soil morphology

physical chemical and biological properties

soil formation processes

soil function within ecosystems

land use and soil systems interactions and impacts

principles of representative samples

principles and procedures for random systematic and stratified sampling and consistency of sampling procedures

preservation of the integrity of samples

maintaining identification of samples relative to their source enterprise andor legal traceability requirements

costeffectiveness of sampling

characteristics of soils to be sampled and likely contaminants

links between quality control quality assurance quality management systems and sampling procedures

enterprise procedures dealing with legislative requirements for the handling labelling and transport of hazardous goods

links between correct occupational health and safety OHS procedures and personal and environmental safety particularly at high risk sites

Evidence Required

Overview of assessment

Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard

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

Assessors must be satisfied that the candidate can competently and consistently apply the skills covered in this unit of competency in new and different situations and contexts Critical aspects of assessment and evidence include

collecting and preserving sufficient representative soil samples to enable all processing and testing to occur and storage of backup samples

identifying atypical materials and samples and taking appropriate action

labelling samples and subsamples to satisfy enterpriselegal traceability requirements

applying sampling and test methodsprocedures to accurately prepare and test samples

safely operating and maintaining sampling equipment and test instruments to enterprise standards andor manufacturer specification

interpreting gross features of data and identifying atypical results as outofnormal range or an artefact

preparing calibration graphs and calculating results using appropriate units and precision

making valid conclusions about soil suitability

reporting results and completing sampling records using enterprise procedures

working safely and following relevant legislative requirements for the disposal of waste and the preservation of the environment

Context of and specific resources for assessment

This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment

Assessment should emphasise a workplace context and procedures found in the candidates workplace

This unit of competency may be assessed with

MSLA Perform chemical tests and procedures

MSL974003A Perform chemical tests and procedures

MSSA Collect and evaluate groundwater data

MSS025006A Collect and evaluate groundwater data

MSSA Perform sampling and testing of contaminated sites

MSS025014A Perform sampling and testing of contaminated sites.

The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team

Resources may include

variety of sample types

sampling containers and sampling equipment

equipmentinstruments for infield and laboratory soils testing

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested

inspection of soil samples collected by the candidate

review of samplingtesting documentation completed by the candidate

feedback from peers and supervisors that the candidate consistently follows enterprise procedures samplingtesting procedures and works safely

questioning to assess underpinning knowledge of soil sampling soil testing equipment and methods

observation of the candidate collecting and testing a range of soil samples

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

The language literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a worklike environment

Guidance information for assessment

Range Statement

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
Legislation, standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements	Legislation, standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements may include: federal legislation, such as: Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 state/territory government legislation and regulations and local government by-laws, policies, and plans dealing with: land use, acquisition, planning and protection environmental protection soil conservation pollution and contaminated sites Australian and international standards, such as: Standards Australia HB 160 Soils testing AS 1289 series Methods of testing of soils for engineering purposes AS 1726:1993 Geotechnical site investigations AS 1199 series Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes AS 1678 series Emergency procedure guide -Transport AS 4433.2:1997 Guide to the sampling of particulate materials - Preparation of samples enterprise and/or client sampling schemes and sampling plans enterprise recording and reporting procedures material safety data sheets (MSDS) methods and procedures which may be written to meet enterprise, client and/or regulatory/certifying body requirements site plans, maps and specifications
Fundamentals of soil science	Fundamentals of soil science include: soil morphology: soil profiles and soil horizons soil structure and texture mineralogy (Australian) soil classification: order and suborder great group, subgroup and family pedology and soil formation: pedogenesis pedosphere Climate, Organisms, Relief, Parent Material or Lithography, Time (CLORPT) edaphology: plant-soil interactions agricultural soil science (soil fertility) environmental soil science (soil contamination and remediation) geomorphology: erosion and mass wasting transportation and deposition (sedimentation) fluvial, aeolian, hillslope and weathering processes soil chemistry: soil solids (composition and structure) solid (solution equilibria) acid-base equilibria (acid sulfate soils) oxidation-reduction equilibria anion and cation exchange soil salinity complexiometric equilibria sorption phenomena on soils physical/engineering soil properties: colour (Munsell chart) liquid and plastic limits linear shrinkage soil particle density particle size distribution dispersion and Emerson class number
Basic principles of sampling	Basic principles of sampling include: sampling plans and site selection representative samples preservation of integrity of samples maintaining identification of samples relative to their source, enterprise and legal traceability cost-effectiveness of sampling consistency of sampling procedures sampling principles, including random, systematic stratified and composite sampling
Materials sampled	Materials sampled may include: solid samples, such as soil and sediments natural, agricultural and engineered soils solid wastes soil water soil gas/vapour
Types of samples	Types of samples may include: discrete samples composite samples quality control samples research or one-off samples environmental or survey samples
Sampling tools and equipment	Sampling tools and equipment may include: maps, global positioning system (GPS) unit and compass shovels and crow bars metal-free scoop and cleaning brush folding rulers and tape measures hand and power augers pry bars and files (auger maintenance) push tubes sampling tubes, dip tubes, spears and syringes front-end loader, backhoe, excavator and drill rig sample bottles or containers, plastic bags/containers and disposable buckets lysimeters soil gas probes sample splitters graters and mills mortar and pestles
Testing equipment and instruments	Testing equipment and instruments may include: sieves and sieve shakers digital camera hand lenses and microscopes Munsell colour chart pH meter and soil pH test kit conductivity meter tensiometer (moisture measurements) ultraviolet/visible (UV/Vis) spectrophotometer atomic absorption spectrophotometer gas chromatographs (GC) and GC-MS infrared spectrophotometer diffuse reflectance accessories inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectrometers and ICP-MS X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometers radiation monitor (e.g. Geiger-Muller counter) drying ovens balances laboratory glassware
Site and sampling hazards	Site and sampling hazards may include: solar radiation, dust and noise wildlife, such as snakes, spiders and domestic animals biohazards, such as microorganisms and agents associated with soil chemicals, such as acids and hydrocarbons aerosols sharps and broken glassware manual handling of heavy sample bags and containers crushing, entanglement and cuts associated with moving machinery and hand tools vehicular and pedestrian traffic
Safety procedures	Safety procedures may include: use of MSDS use of personal protective equipment, such as hard hats, hearing protection, gloves, safety glasses, goggles, face guards, coveralls, gowns, body suits, respirators and safety boots use of biohazard containers and laminar flow cabinets correct labelling of reagents and hazardous materials handling, and storing hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labels, MSDS, manufacturer instructions, and enterprise procedures and regulations regular cleaning and/or decontaminating equipment and work areas machinery guards signage, barriers, service isolation tags, traffic control and flashing lights lock-out and tag-out procedures
Chemical soil tests	Chemical soil tests may include: electrical conductivity pH alkalinity cation exchange capacity organic carbon available phosphorus nutrients and micronutrients sulfate carbonate nitrate and total nitrogen metals, including heavy metals organics, including pesticides and other hazardous chemicals
Physical soil tests	Physical soil tests may include: soil profile description soil colour (Munsell) soil texture soil resistivity liquid limit plastic limit (plasticity index) Atterberg limits standard penetration test cone penetration test soil moisture content compaction infiltration volume expansion linear shrinkage particle size analysis dispersibility (Emerson class number) water repellence radioactivity
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