1. Prepare for on-site operations
   • Identify the job, location, appropriate procedures and safety requirements
   • Identify site hazards and use appropriate personal protective equipment and safety procedures as specified for job and materials to be used
   • Record description of the job to be undertaken, compare with specification and report any variations
   • Select and prepare tools, equipment and materials in accordance with job requirements
   • Select suitable transport for site access
   • Ensure site access requirements, such as entry permits and safety inductions have been organised
2. Assist with excavation of boreholes, test pits and/or trenches
   • Identify the sampling/testing location
   • Excavate or supervise excavation to the sampling/ testing depth, minimising disturbance and potential contamination of the site
   • Identify materials and record changes of strata, test results, and other relevant information
   • Ensure materials from different strata are kept separate
   • Terminate the excavation at the appropriate depth, recording the reason for termination
   • Clean up on completion, backfilling or sealing the excavation or ensuring that it is left in a safe and uncontaminated condition
3. Assist with sampling
   • Prepare sampling equipment and materials
   • Take disturbed and undisturbed samples in accordance with established practices
   • Label samples and record details in accordance with established practices
   • Handle and transport samples in accordance with established practices
   • Clean and maintain sampling equipment, avoiding environmental damage, including stormwater contamination
4. Assist with testing
   • Prepare test equipment and materials
   • Perform or assist in performing tests in accordance with established practices
   • Record test data in accordance with established practices
   • Clean and maintain testing equipment, avoiding environmental damage, including stormwater contamination
5. Maintain records
   • Record data in accordance with established practices
   • Maintain equipment records in accordance with established practices
   • Maintain confidentiality of enterprise information.

The Evidence Guide describes the underpinning knowledge and skills that must be demonstrated to prove competence

Critical aspects of competency

Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard In particular assessors should look to see that the candidate

identifies and locates site services sampling and testing sites

identifies problems in siting for example services immediately

takes representative samples

identifies and describes materials accurately

handles and transports samples correctly

records sampling and testing information

uses tools and equipment effectively and efficiently

observes interprets and reports on the geotechnical conditions

communicates problems to appropriate personnel

records and communicates work results

works safely

Underpinning knowledge

Competency includes the ability to apply and explain

the basic concepts purposes and principles of geotechnical site investigation

identification and classification of materials

engineering properties of soil and rock materials

representative sampling and testing

map and drawing interpretation

uses of soil and rock materials in engineering and construction

insitu testing methods

relevant health safety and environment requirements

Assessment context and methods

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

It is strongly recommended that assessment is conducted through observation over time The timeframe must allow for adequate assessment of operation under all normal and a range of abnormal conditions Where this is not practical additional assessment techniques must be used

The following assessment methods are suggested

review of work outputs over a period of time to ensure accurate and consistent work is obtained within required timelines

examples of completed workplace documentation

feedback from peers and supervisors

oral or written questioning

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 Questioning techniques should suit the language and literacy levels of the candidate

Interdependent assessment of unit

This unit of competency may be assessed with

PMLSAMPA Handle and transport samples or equipment

PMLSAMP302A Handle and transport samples or equipment

PMLSAMPB Obtain representative samples in accordance with a sampling plan

PMLSAMP400B Obtain representative samples in accordance with a sampling plan

PMLTESTB Perform basic tests

PMLTEST300B Perform basic tests.

Resource implications

Resources may include

access to sites tools equipment

enterprise procedures sampling plans test methods and equipment manuals

This competency in practice

Construction materials

A geotechnical consultancy company is carrying out the investigation for the construction of an industrial complex involving building pads and roadways A contract drilling company has been hired to carry out auger drilling for the building pad foundations The drill rig will be used to perform standard penetration tests in some boreholes to determine bearing capacities Undisturbed sample tubes will be pushed to obtain samples for consolidation testing in the laboratory

A senior technician is in charge of site activities and arranges for a drill rig Shehe plans a program of drilling sampling and testing A laboratory assistant is allocated to carry out the majority of site activities These include overseeing drilling testing and sampling operations Heshe is provided with a markedup plan of the site showing borehole locations so that heshe can direct where to drill The senior technician makes site visits every second day to oversee the work

The drilling contractor operates the drill rig takes tube samples performs the standard penetration tests and cases the hole if required as directed by the senior technician The assistant records and samples the soil profile seals the sample tubes with wax and labels them Heshe also records the SPT readings and bags and labels the material from the splitspoon sampler Each borehole is capped to prevent access by unauthorised persons so that the assistant can record standing water level hours after the hole has been drilled Heshe wears a helmet work boots and earmuffs while working near the rig Heshe covers up and wears sunscreen while working in the sun and drinks large quantities of water

The assistant also excavates hand auger holes to a depth of one metre at regular intervals in the proposed roadways to obtain samples for California Bearing Ratio tests Adjacent to each heshe performs a dynamic cone penetrometer test to two metres to assess the insitu material Heshe records the logs of the auger holes and the test results on the companys standard data sheets and backfills each auger hole immediately after sampling

Heshe reports each days activities to the senior technician using the companys standard summary form Heshe is confident to identify soil types thus minimising the need for laboratory testing of the samples taken Based on the field logs crosssections of the site can be drawn so that the designer can assess its geotechnical characteristics and determine the extent of any further investigations

Key Competencies

The seven key competencies represent generic skills considered for effective work participation The bracketed numbering against each of the key competencies indicates the performance level required in this unit These are standalone levels and do not correspond to the Australian Qualifications Framework AQF

Level represents the competence to undertake tasks effectively

Level represents the competence to manage tasks

Level represents the competence to use concepts for evaluating and reshaping tasks

The range of variables relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that will affect performance.