Unit of Competency Mapping – Information for Teachers/Assessors – Information for Learners

MSL934003A Mapping and Delivery Guide
Maintain and control stocks

Version 1.0
Issue Date: April 2024


Qualification -
Unit of Competency MSL934003A - Maintain and control stocks
Description This unit of competency covers the ability to order, maintain and control the use of laboratory materials and/or equipment in the work area.
Employability Skills This unit contains employability skills.
Learning Outcomes and Application This unit of competency is applicable to technicians and technical officers working in all industry sectors. Industry representatives have provided case studies to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and to show its relevance in a workplace setting. These are found at the end of this unit of competency under the section 'This competency in practice'.
Duration and Setting X weeks, nominally xx hours, delivered in a classroom/online/blended learning setting.
Prerequisites/co-requisites
Competency Field
Development and validation strategy and guide for assessors and learners Student Learning Resources Handouts
Activities
Slides
PPT
Assessment 1 Assessment 2 Assessment 3 Assessment 4
Elements of Competency Performance Criteria              
Element: Maintain and control stocks of materials or equipment
  • Label, document and store stocks in accordance with relevant standards and specific safety requirements
  • Follow stock rotation procedures to maximise use of stocks within permitted shelf life
  • Identify stock discrepancies and replace redundant or outdated stocks to maintain stocks at prescribed level
  • Identify and replace damaged/worn equipment or arrange for repairs or disposal as appropriate
  • Initiate quality control sampling and testing procedures when appropriate
  • Report stock problems outside own knowledge and authority limitations to relevant personnel
       
Element: Order and receive materials and equipment
  • Determine requirements of customers and suppliers using appropriate communication and interpersonal skills
  • Determine demand for stock, taking into account peak and seasonal variations in stock usage and production conditions
  • Place and/or follow up approved orders using enterprise systems and procedures
  • Check condition of received goods and take appropriate action
       
Element: Maintain stock records
  • Record all relevant details accurately using the specified forms/computer system
  • Ensure that written information is legible and indelible
  • File all records in the designated place
       
Element: Maintain a safe work environment
  • Use established safe work practices and personal protective equipment to ensure personal safety and that of other laboratory personnel
  • Minimise the generation of wastes and environmental impacts
  • Ensure the safe collection of redundant/outdated stocks for subsequent disposal
       


Evidence Required

List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.

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:

confirm customer requirements with senior personnel where there is doubt

access online databases and/or catalogues efficiently

interpret labelling information (lot number, batch and date) and MSDS correctly

apply procedures for safe handling, storage and transport of stocks

use required safety and manual handling equipment and procedures

perform quality controlsampling and testing and rotate stock in accordance with SOPs

follow workplace procedures for predicting and/or determining demand for stock

maintain stock at prescribed levels for their work area, through regular inspections, timely ordering of replacement items and followup of late orders

cope with peak and seasonal variations in stock usage and production conditions

follow workplace procedures for researching, ordering and receipt of stock

complete and record all documentation accurately

demonstrate effective and appropriate communication and interpersonal skills when dealing with customers and suppliers.

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:

MSL935004A Maintain instruments and equipment.

Resources may include:

stocks of materials and equipment

stock order forms and documentation

sampling and testing equipment.

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested:

review of documentation for orders prepared by the candidate

examination of stock records maintained by the candidate

observation of the candidate handling stock and conducting quality control sampling and testing

feedback from the laboratory manager, quality manager, customer service manager, supervisor, customers and peers

explanation by the candidate of the labelling and storage requirements of a selection of stock items.

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 and/or 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.

Biotechnology

A technical officer arrived at work on Monday morning and discovered that the freezer had been turned off over the weekend and the restriction nucleases had thawed. These enzymes were to be used that morning. The technician needed to check the enzyme activity to determine whether the enzymes had been denatured by the rise in temperature. The technician quickly set up a digestion mix of affected enzyme with some viral DNA of known sequence. The digest produced DNA fragments of expected length, showing the enzyme still had activity. The technician reported the incident along with the results to the supervisor, who decided that the enzymes could be used for that day.

Manufacturing

Neglected chemicals may deteriorate on the shelf and turn into a completely different entity. Not only can this change in identity damage a chemical manufacturing process, it can also present an immediate hazard. For example, this occurred in a storeroom where stored ether built up high levels of peroxides. When it was used in an extraction process to make a starting material in a manufacturing process, the peroxides were concentrated and exploded. The company was fortunate that loss of life didn't occur. The company revised enterprise procedures to ensure that in the future, redundant or outdated stocks are identified and removed.

Food processing

The staff in a confectionary company laboratory use enzyme based methods to routinely analyse sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose and lactose) in products. Although the enzymes are stored as directed by the manufacturer, typically at -20(C in the dark, they do not retain their activity indefinitely. To avoid using inactive enzyme in an analytical procedure and obtaining a reduced or false negative result, several features of each enzyme preparation are routinely noted. These include the date of purchase, the number of times the enzyme has been thawed and refrozen and its initial activity. Periodically, the enzyme activity is verified and stock is discarded where its activity has fallen to a less than acceptable value. These practices ensure that the analytical methods that use enzymes are performed with functional reagents and give accurate results.


Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assignment, checklist) and due date here

Assessment task 1: [title]      Due date:

(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)


Assessment Tasks

Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.

Required skills

Required skills include:

maintaining and controlling stocks or materials and equipment

ordering and receiving materials and equipment

maintaining stock records

maintaining a safe work environment

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes:

technical terminology relating to ordering and storage of stocks

laboratory stock, product and service information

types of chemical reactions and rationale for recommended storage systems

enterprise procedures and quality system requirements for stock control

codes of practice and regulations concerning the handling, storage and transport of the stock involved

relevant health, safety and environment requirements

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 3780-2008 The storage and handling of corrosive substances

AS 4332-2004 The storage and handling of gases in cylinders

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 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 ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set

animal welfare legislation and codes of practice

Australian code of good manufacturing practice for medicinal products (GMP)

Australian Dangerous Goods Code

Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) Export Control (Orders) Regulations 1982

Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) Import Guidelines

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

customer database and supplier catalogues

enterprise or standard operating procedures (SOPs)

equipment manuals and warranty, supplier catalogues and handbooks

gene technology regulations

internal/external stock orders and overdue actions

material safety data sheets (MSDS)

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

National Environment Protection Measures

National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Guidelines

national measurement regulations and guidelines

occupational health and safety (OHS) national standards and codes of practice

principles of good laboratory practice (GLP)

Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1009

Workplace procedures

Workplace procedures may include:

ordering, purchase and receipt of stocks

verification of temperature control for delivered and stored stocks (e.g. reagents containing enzymes)

organisation of compatible batch or lot numbers

storage of stocks, stock control and rotation of stock

quality control testing, monitoring of use by dates of standards and shelf life of reagents (e.g. DNA, enzymes, antibodies, radioisotopes and vitamins)

reporting non-conformances

Records

Records could include:

stock usage

orders and progress of orders

equipment servicing and repairs

current inventories

quality control sampling, testing and stock rotation

Communication

Communication may require the use of equipment or systems, such as:

telephone, fax, email and mail

online information systems, inventories, print records, databases and catalogues

filing systems

Communication may involve::

suppliers

freight companies

internal customers

external customers

Hazards

Hazards may include:

electric shock

chemicals, such as acids and hydrocarbons

microbiological organisms associated with blood and blood products

radioisotopes

sharps, such as broken glassware

disturbance or interruption of services

manual handling of heavy boxes

fluids under pressure and industrial gas bottles

Safety procedures

Safety procedures may include:

use of personal protective equipment, such as hearing protection, gloves, safety glasses, coveralls and safety boots

ensuring access to service shut-off points

handling and storing hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labels, MSDS, manufacturer's instructions, and enterprise procedures and regulations

regular cleaning of equipment and work areas

Occupational health and safety (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

Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.

Observation Checklist

Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice Yes No Comments/feedback
Label, document and store stocks in accordance with relevant standards and specific safety requirements 
Follow stock rotation procedures to maximise use of stocks within permitted shelf life 
Identify stock discrepancies and replace redundant or outdated stocks to maintain stocks at prescribed level 
Identify and replace damaged/worn equipment or arrange for repairs or disposal as appropriate 
Initiate quality control sampling and testing procedures when appropriate 
Report stock problems outside own knowledge and authority limitations to relevant personnel 
Determine requirements of customers and suppliers using appropriate communication and interpersonal skills 
Determine demand for stock, taking into account peak and seasonal variations in stock usage and production conditions 
Place and/or follow up approved orders using enterprise systems and procedures 
Check condition of received goods and take appropriate action 
Record all relevant details accurately using the specified forms/computer system 
Ensure that written information is legible and indelible 
File all records in the designated place 
Use established safe work practices and personal protective equipment to ensure personal safety and that of other laboratory personnel 
Minimise the generation of wastes and environmental impacts 
Ensure the safe collection of redundant/outdated stocks for subsequent disposal 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

MSL934003A - Maintain and control stocks
Assessment task 1: [title]

Student name:

Student ID:

I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.

Student signature:

Result: Competent Not yet competent

Feedback to student

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:


Assessment Record Sheet

MSL934003A - Maintain and control stocks

Student name:

Student ID:

Assessment task 1: [title] Result: Competent Not yet competent

(add lines for each task)

Feedback to student:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Student signature:

Date: