Application
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to set up, load, clean and operate manually set and adjusted slicing equipment in a smallgoods manufacturing establishment.
A skilled operator in a smallgoods establishment would slice meat to customer specifications. This unit is not applicable for operators of large-scale production slicing machinery.
All work should be carried out to comply with workplace and hygiene requirements.
This unit applies to individuals who work under general supervision, exercise limited autonomy and have some accountability for their own work.
No occupational licensing, legislative or certification requirements are known to apply to this unit at the time of publication.
This unit must be delivered and assessed in the context of Australian meat industry standards and regulations.
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. Prepare slicing equipment | 1.1 Set up equipment and accessories in accordance with product specifications and workplace health and safety requirements 1.2 Clean equipment and machinery in accordance with hygiene and workplace requirements 1.3 Conduct pre-start safety checks in accordance with workplace and regulatory requirements and corrective action for identified faults |
2. Prepare product for slicing | 2.1 Prepare product for slicing to workplace requirements 2.2 Handle out-of-specification product to workplace requirements |
3. Operate slicing equipment | 3.1 Adjust equipment to suit product specifications in accordance with workplace and health and safety requirements 3.2 Operate equipment to slice a range of products to specifications at a speed similar to production requirements and in accordance with manufacturer's specifications 3.3 Change equipment from the slicing of one product to the slicing of another to workplace requirements 3.4 Identify, record and report equipment malfunctions or faults in accordance with workplace requirements |
4. Weigh and bag products within weight specifications | 4.1 Weigh and bag products with weight specifications to specifications, workplace, hygiene and sanitation, Quality Assurance (QA) and customer requirements 4.2 Adjust weight control mechanisms to specifications and workplace requirements |
5. Clean and maintain slicing equipment | 5.1 Clean and maintain slicing equipment according to workplace and manufacturer's specifications 5.2 Implement cleaning procedures to workplace requirements when changing product to be sliced |
Evidence of Performance
The candidate must set up, load, clean and operate manually set and adjusted slicing equipment in a smallgoods manufacturing establishment.
The candidate must:
follow the requirements of the work instruction
work at production speed
identify slicing equipment and accessories
identify product and slicing faults in a range of products
adjust weight control mechanisms if a part of work instructions
demonstrate procedure for preparing slicing equipment for new product
slice products to workplace requirements and customer specifications for a variety of products
clean and maintain slicing equipment if required in work instructions
observe safety requirements for cleaning slicing equipment if required in work instructions
sharpen a slicing blade if a part of work instructions
weigh and bag products with weight specifications
apply communication skills relevant to work instructions and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
explain and demonstrate checks on products if a part of work instructions
Evidence of Knowledge
The candidate must demonstrate a basic factual, technical and procedural knowledge of:
workplace procedures when metal is detected in a product
how and why product is prepared for slicing
how products are weighed and bagged when they have a weight specification
how weight control mechanisms are adjusted
illegal weights
maximum and minimum allowable weights
operating procedures for various types of slicing equipment
importance of cutting blade maintenance in the slicing process
procedure for sharpening a slicing blade if a part of work instructions
procedures for handling faulty product
procedures for reporting faults in slicing equipment
safety considerations when setting up slicing equipment
use-by and packed-on dates and their importance
relevant regulatory requirements
Assessment Conditions
Competency must be demonstrated over time and under typical operating and production conditions for the enterprise.
As a minimum, the following three forms of assessment must be used:
quiz of underpinning knowledge
workplace demonstration
workplace referee or third-party report of performance over time
Assessors must satisfy the current standards for RTOs.
Foundation Skills
Foundation Skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.