Application
This unit covers the skills and knowledge workers require to apply personal hygiene and sanitation practices in a meat operation. It also covers appropriate methods for cleaning equipment and immediate work areas during operations.
This unit is applicable to workers in abattoirs, boning rooms, smallgoods plants, wild game harvester operations, wild game depots, game processing plants, knackeries, food service premises, wholesalers and retail meat establishments.
This unit must be delivered and assessed in the context of Australian meat industry standards and regulations.
No occupational licensing, legislative or certification requirements are known to apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Element | Performance criteria |
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Clean own work area and equipment during operations | 1.1 Hygienically clean worksite during operations to workplace health and safety, workplace and regulatory requirements 1.2 Hygienically clean equipment and surfaces to regulatory and workplace requirements 1.3 Monitor cleanliness of work area according to workplace requirements |
2. Identify sources of contamination and spoilage | 2.1 Identify contamination and cross-contamination risks and take steps to reduce the risk 2.2 Take corrective action, in accordance with workplace and regulatory requirements, when contamination is identified |
3. Follow workplace hygiene and sanitation requirements | 3.1 Follow personal hygiene practices to workplace requirements 3.2 Handle product in accordance with workplace, and hygiene and sanitation requirements 3.3 Conduct work hygienically in accordance with workplace requirements 3.4 Process products in accordance with regulatory requirements |
Evidence of Performance
The candidate must be observed consistently applying required workplace hygiene and sanitation practices under normal production conditions.
The candidate must:
consistently follow workplace hygiene and sanitation procedures
keep work areas clean, while working as an individual and as part of a team
demonstrate basic hygiene and sanitation practices in all workplace activities
use communication skills relevant to the task
use and mix cleaning chemicals (if used) according to manufacturer specifications, regulatory and workplace requirements
Evidence of Knowledge
The candidate must demonstrate a basic factual, technical and procedural knowledge of:
hygiene and sanitation requirements for own area
procedures for reporting contamination
chemical contamination risks to product and how they are controlled
consequences of contaminated or spoiled meat leaving the establishment
consequences of failing to follow workplace requirements for hygienic handling and processing of meat
time, temperature and moisture requirements for microbial growth
causes of food spoilage and poisoning
possible sources of contamination and cross-contamination in the worksite
visual evidence of contamination
microbes which may affect meat
the scope and coverage of AS 4696:2007 Hygienic production and transportation of meat and meat products for human consumption
sources of physical and microbiological contamination in meat establishments and how these hazards are controlled
monitoring methods (including site, scent and use of protein sticks)
Assessment Conditions
Assessment must include demonstration of on-the-job competency in the workplace.
The following three forms of evidence must be used:
quiz of underpinning knowledge
workplace demonstration
workplace referee or third-party report of performance over time
Assessors must satisfy current standards for RTOs.
Foundation Skills
Foundation Skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.