Application
This unit is applicable to those working in companion animal industry organisations that include aviaries and bird rooms as part of their operations. In addition to legal and ethical responsibilities, all units of competency in the ACM10 Animal Care and Management Training Package have the requirement for animals to be handled gently and calmly. The individual is required to exhibit appropriate care for animals so that stress and discomfort is minimised. |
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
1. Determine housing needs | 1.1. Housing requirements of particular species and breeds are identified and appropriate security and housing is provided. 1.2. Husbandry practices of species are determined and appropriate resources are provided. |
2. Maintain enclosures | 2.1. Maintenance plans for aviaries and bird rooms are developed in accordance with occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements and environmental considerations. 2.2. Maintenance activities are conducted in accordance with maintenance plans and relevant industry standards. 2.3. Appropriate tools, equipment and materials are selected and used correctly, including personal protective equipment. 2.4. Environmentally safe and effective measures are implemented, including hygiene standards and infection control procedures. 2.5. Maintenance plans and activities are documented. |
3. Detect and control pests and report notifiable diseases | 3.1. Pests are detected and appropriate control procedures are implemented. 3.2. Pest control and disease records are maintained in accordance with industry standards and organisational policies and procedures. 3.3. Notifiable diseases are identified, documented and reported in accordance with legislative requirements. |
Required Skills
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Required skills |
develop and implement maintenance plans for aviaries and bird rooms employ safe and environmentally responsible organisational systems and procedures when working with and handling a variety of bird species identify diseases in birds and pests implement environmentally safe and effective pest control procedures maintain the highest standards of hygiene and infection control at all times to reduce the risk of infection and cross-infection maintain records and write workplace documents operate cleaning and maintenance equipment prepare and maintain housing literacy skills to read and follow organisation policies and procedures, including OHS, infection control and waste management; record accurately and legibly information collected; and select and apply procedures to a range of defined tasks oral communication skills/language to fulfil the job role as specified by the organisation, including questioning techniques, active listening and asking for clarification numeracy skills to estimate, calculate and record routine and more complex workplace measures and data interpersonal skills to work with others and relate to people from a range of cultural, social and religious backgrounds and with a range of physical and mental abilities problem-solving skills to use available resources and prioritise daily tasks use safe manual handling techniques and/or equipment use safe waste handling and disposal procedures. |
Required knowledge |
avian biologyrelated to the care and wellbeing of commonly held avian species and breeds avian pests and diseases and treatment strategies communication procedures and systems general maintenance and cleaning of avian housing housing requirements of bird species and breeds organisation policies, procedures and requirements, including OHS and emergency procedures relevant OHS and animal welfare legislative requirements and codes of practice physical, behavioural and social requirements of a range of avian species and breeds kept in captivity principles of animal ethics and welfare relevant recordkeeping systems safe avian handling techniques and procedures safe work practices species and breed nutritional requirements and feeding techniques species compatibility waste management strategies workplace hygiene standards, disinfectants, cleaning agents, cleaning techniques and cleaning equipment and materials zoonotic diseases associated with animal care and methods of prevention and control. |
Evidence Required
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 | The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy all of the requirements of the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge and the range statement of this unit. Assessors should ensure that candidates can: manage aviaries and bird rooms provide appropriate husbandry for birds maintain enclosures identify pests and apply pest control techniques detect and report notifiable diseases maintain accurate records and workplace documentation. The skills and knowledge required to manage and maintain aviaries and bird roomsmust be transferable to a range of work environments and contexts and include the ability to deal with unplanned events. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | Assessment of this unit is to be practical in nature and will be most appropriately assessed in companion animal workplaces where a broad range of bird species are housed. There must be access to a range of bird species and breeds as well as the relevant information, materials and documentation. |
Method of assessment | To ensure consistency in one's performance, competency should be demonstrated, to industry defined standards, on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances, cases and responsibilities, and over a number of assessment activities. The assessment strategies must include practical skills assessment. Suggested strategies for this unit are: written and/or oral assessment of candidate's required knowledge observed, documented and first-hand testimonial evidence of candidate's application of practical tasks simulation exercises that reproduce normal work conditions third-party evidence workplace documentation portfolio. This unit may be assessed in a holistic way with other units of competency relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role. |
Guidance information for assessment | Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands (e.g. literacy and numeracy demands) and the needs of particular target groups (e.g. people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people with a language background other than English, youth and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds). |
Range Statement
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. | |
Housing requirements may include: | brooders, heating and perches fencing, netting, gates and security measures food and water dispensers hollow logs, branches and environmental enrichment. |
Husbandry practices may include: | appropriate delivery and placement of food and water handling and housing methods relevant to bird species disease control environmental and waste management control. |
OHS and environmental considerations may include: | hazard identification, risk minimisation and workplace procedures for: animal bites, kicks and scratches biological hazardous waste and sharps disposal gas leakage handling, use, storage, transport and disposal of chemicals and medicines inhalation of aerosol particles manual handling including carrying, lifting and shifting needle pricks and cuts from other sharps control of the release of infective agents (animal and human) transmission of zoonotic diseases. |
Maintenance activities may include: | checking and reporting utilities repairing fixtures and fittings replacing consumables sweeping, hosing, washing and disinfecting. |
Tools, equipment and materials may include: | surveying and levelling equipment: levels and pegs notebook, pencil and calculator tools: hammers hose and hose fittings rakes rollers shovels and spades wheelbarrows |
Personal protective equipment may include: | animal handling gauntlets gloves overalls hearing or eye protection respirators or face masks sun hats and sunscreen lotion work boots. |
Hygiene standards and infection control practices may include: | appropriate reprocessing of reusable equipment aseptic technique dedicated equipment (e.g. to each animal or as appropriate to work function) environmental controls (e.g. design and maintenance of premises and cleaning) isolation/cohorting personal hygiene practices especially washing and drying hands (e.g. before and after animal contact) restricted movement of animal, staff and visitors/customers restricting contact with birds away from workplace safe handling and disposal of sharps and other related and general waste special ventilation requirements surface cleaning and management of blood and bodily fluid spills techniques to limit contamination use of personal protective equipment. |
Pests may include: | cockroaches, spiders, ants and flying insects predators and parasites rats and mice. |
Sectors
Unit sector | Companion animal services |
Employability Skills
This unit contains employability skills. |
Licensing Information
Not applicable.