Application
This unit covers the skills and knowledge required to thaw product using air for further processing or re-working.
This unit is applicable to workers in smallgoods plants who have to thaw frozen product using air prior to further processing. It may also be applicable in boning rooms where carton product fails Quality Assurance (QA) requirements and has to be re-worked.
All work should be carried out to comply with workplace procedures, customer requirements and product specifications.
This unit applies to individuals who work under broad direction and take responsibility for their own work including limited responsibility for the work of others. They provide and communicate solutions to a range of predictable problems.
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 processing 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. Thaw product in air | 1.1 Select product to be thawed and move to thawing chillers according to workplace requirements 1.2 Check chillers according to workplace requirements 1.3 Thaw product according to work instructions and regulatory requirements 1.4 Complete product monitoring and recording according to workplace requirements 1.5 Undertake thawing in accordance with workplace health and safety requirements 1.6 Identify and minimise potential sources of contamination and cross-contamination |
2. Store and despatch thawed product | 2.1 Store and rotate thawed product according to workplace and regulatory requirements 2.2 Maintain product segregation as required 2.3 Keep records according to workplace requirements |
Evidence of Performance
Candidates must consistently thaw product according to workplace and regulatory requirements.
Candidates must:
follow the requirements of the work instruction
work at production speed
check and prepare chillers for thawing
thaw product according to workplace and regulatory requirements
maintain control of the flow of product through thawing and despatch to further processing
apply communication and mathematical skills relevant to work instructions and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
keep records to workplace requirements
follow workplace hygiene and workplace health and safety requirements
Evidence of Knowledge
The candidate must demonstrate a factual, technical, procedural and theoretical knowledge of:
sources of contamination and cross-contamination
ways of minimising contamination
regulations dealing with the thawing of product
workplace requirements for thawing product including:
workplace health and safety
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
principles of stock rotation
work instructions
Assessment Conditions
Competency must be demonstrated over time and under typical operating conditions for the enterprise.
Assessment must occur in the workplace under normal production conditions.
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.