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

Evidence of the ability to:

inspect proposed cable route visually

prepare installation activities for FTTx provisioning

prepare and document FTTx designs and specifications.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

sites on which FTTx installations may be designed and prepared

vendor product information and installation guides

relevant regulatory and equipment documentation that impact on installation activities.

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

direct observation of the candidate carrying out preparation and design for FTTx installation within an optical distribution network

review of FTTx designs and specifications completed by the candidate

oral and written questioning to assess required knowledge.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

ICTOPN4116A Use advanced optical test equipment.

Aboriginal people and other people from a non-English speaking background may have second language issues.

Access must be provided to appropriate learning and assessment support when required.

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and appropriate to the oral communication skill level, and language and literacy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.

In all cases where practical assessment is used it will be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge. Questioning techniques should not require language, literacy and numeracy skills beyond those required in this unit of competency.

Where applicable, physical resources should include equipment modified for people with special needs.

Required skills

communication skills to:

interact with senior project staff and equipment vendors

work effectively within group

literacy skills to:

prepare reports given a specific format

read and interpret technical and non-technical documentation

numeracy skills to analyse and confirm installation requirements

PC skills to carry out word processing and desktop research

planning and organisational skills to:

make site access and equipment delivery arrangements

plan work activities according to project requirements and priorities

problem solving skills to account for unexpected variations to requirements

task management skills to work logically and systematically with required attention to detail

technical skills to:

prepare FTTx specifications

prepare line drawings relevant to organisation

record design specifications in centralised system relevant to organisation

Required knowledge

properties of passive optical devices including splitters and couplers

FTTx installation equipment including tools and safety equipment

FTTx specifications

legislative privacy, safety and environmental requirements:

specific OHS requirements relating to handling of optical fibre and using laser optical sources

other personal safety issues

plant and equipment safety to be used in installation plans

options for green ICT installations

manufacturer's requirements for safe operation of equipment

operation of optical transmitters and receivers

organisational policy and procedures

propagation of light in optical communication systems

role of optical transmitters and receivers in optical communication systems

concept of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM)

site engineering

typical issues and challenges that occur in preparing activity plans and on site

workplace and industry environment

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.

Relevant legislation, codes, regulations and standards may include:

Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF) standards and codes

AS Communications Cabling Manual (CCM)
Volume 1

AS/NZS 3000:2007

AS/NZS 3080:2003

AS/NZS 3084:2003

AS/NZS 3085.1:2004

AS/NZS IEC 61935.1:2006

AS/NZS IEC 61935.2:2006

AS/NZS ISO/IEC 14763.3:2007

AS/NZS ISO/IEC 15018:2005

AS/NZS ISO/IEC 24702:2007

cabling security codes and regulations

Environmental Protection Acts

OHS

road and traffic control legislation and codes

technical standards AS/ACIF S008:2006 and AS/ACIF S009:2006.

Scope the work may include:

cable:

route

types

supports

distribution areas (DA)

enclosures

equipment required:

fibre hubs

optical splitters

project type:

large residential

medium residential

standard residential or small business.

Appropriate personnel may be:

consultant

project engineer

project supervisor

site supervisor.

Safety hazards may refer to:

access points that may contain:

hazardous light (non-visible laser)

radio frequency (RF) emission

active lasers with no safety labels

active optical fibres

contact with remote power feed

electrical supply that requires mandatory separation from communications cable

exposed fibres

unsafe support structures

unsafe weather:

heavy rains

high winds

severe heat or cold

thunderstorms.

Tools and safety equipment may include:

personal protective equipment

safety equipment

test equipment:

local area network (LAN) Cat tester

network analyser

optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR)

passive optical network (PON) meter

tools:

fibre cleaning kit

fibre splicer

labeller

screw drivers

spanners

tagging tool.

Plant and machinery may include:

back hoes

bobcats

cable hauling equipment

cable lifters

diggers

elevated work platforms

excavators

jacks and trolleys

tensioning equipment.

OHS and environmental requirements may relate to:

identifying other services including power and gas

personal protective equipment:

earmuffs

gloves:

leather

plastic

rubber

head protection

masks

protective suits

safety boots

safety glasses

safe working practices, such as the safe use and handling of:

chemicals

materials

tools and equipment

safety equipment:

flashing lights

safety barriers

warning signs and tapes

witches hats

special access requirements

environmental considerations:

clean-up protection

stormwater protection

waste management.

Other services may include:

alarms

electrical services

fire sprinkler systems

gas and water mains

high voltage (HV) power

other service provider networks.

Installation activities may include:

aerial cable installation

cable hauling

cable terminations

construction work for underground enclosures

end-to-end testing of cable system

excavation work

installation of enclosures

installation of FDH

installation of optical devices

marking out cable route and location of equipment

site surveys.

Optical fibre cable size may include:

12F

24F

36F

48F

60F

72F.

Distribution area (DA) may include:

expected type of buildings

number of service addresses

staging of development

types of service required.

Distribution joint including lead-in multiport serving area (DLMSA) may include:

limit of 1 distribution joint including lead-in multiport (DLM) per pit

4 or 6 way lead-in modules

avoid spurs and optimise cable hauling

reduce lead-in module tail lengths

11 lead-ins per 12F tube.

lead-in cable lengths of 20, 40, 75 or 100 metres.

Enclosures may include:

cabinet

FTTx cabinet

HFC housing

pit.

Optical network terminations (ONT) may include:

standard residential or small business = 1

medium residential = 2 - 30

large residential = >30.

Location and type of fibre distribution hub (FDH) may include:

location:

standard residential or small business, external FDH

medium residential, external FDH

large residential, internal FDH

type:

type 144 - 100 service addresses

type 288 - 220 service addresses

type 432 - 340 service addresses.

Optical splitter may include:

4 x 32 way

8 x 32 way

12 x 32 way.