Application
This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to mitigate water damage to residential or commercial carpets by stopping the inflow of water, extracting water and drying out the carpet, and making the site safe before carpets are restored or replaced. It requires assessing the category of water ingress and selecting equipment and methods to perform tasks safely and efficiently.
The unit supports carpet cleaners who work alone or in teams. It applies in a range of commercial and residential work sites, and to water ingress caused by an overflow of water from bathrooms and laundries, toilet backflows, overflowing gutters, roof leaks, and rising external waters.
No licensing, legislative, regulatory, or certification requirements apply to this unit of competency at the time of endorsement.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the range of conditions. | ||
1. | Plan and prepare to mitigate water damage. | 1.1. | Area of water damage is assessed, category and extent of water damage are determined, and issues are clarified. |
1.2. | Work site hazards are assessed and risks controlled according to company, legislative, and health and safety requirements. | ||
1.3. | Suitable water extraction method is determined and technique for pumping extracted water is identified and confirmed. | ||
1.4. | Equipment is | ||
1.5. | Personal protective equipment (PPE) is sourced according to manufacturer specifications, and health and safety and company requirements. | ||
1.6. | Tasks are sequenced to ensure maximum efficiency for completion. | ||
1.7. | Signs and barricades are selected and installed according to health and safety, and company requirements. | ||
2. | Undertake water mitigation processes. | 2.1. | Furniture and fittings are moved or removed according to job, health and safety, and company requirements. |
2.2. | Water source is eliminated or contained according to health and safety and company requirements. | ||
2.3. | Excess water is extracted and disposed of safely using required equipment and according to health and safety and company requirements. | ||
2.4. | In-structure drying equipment is activated as required and drying progress is monitored according to company requirements. | ||
2.5. | Work area is treated with antimicrobial chemicals as required. | ||
2.6. | Options for carpet restoration or replacement are identified and discussed with client. | ||
3. | Secure work site. | 3.1. | Furniture and fittings are returned to original position according to client requests, and health and safety requirements. |
3.2. | Site is assessed as safe for access, and level of access allowed is communicated to client and required personnel. | ||
3.3. | Signs and barricades are removed according to health and safety, and company requirements. | ||
4. | Clean and safety check equipment, and store equipment and chemicals. | 4.1. | Equipment and PPE are cleaned, safety checked and stored according to manufacturer specifications and environmental, health and safety, and company requirements. |
4.2. | Unused chemicals are stored or disposed of according to manufacturer specifications, and health and safety and company requirements. | ||
Evidence of Performance
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must satisfy the requirements of the elements, performance criteria, foundation skills and range of conditions of this unit.
The person must also mitigate water damage at two different sites where one site contains black or grey water and one contains clean water.
In doing the above work, the person must:
identify site hazards and control risks before commencing the task
correctly classify the category of water damage as being:
clean water
black water
grey water
identify source of water damage and prevent further damage
select and use cleaning equipment, including personal protective equipment (PPE), required for the task
identify and implement water mitigation methods suited to each task
comply with company, health and safety, environmental and legislative requirements.
Evidence of Knowledge
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must demonstrate knowledge of:
environmental requirements relating to mitigating water damage, including:
clean-up, containment and isolation procedures
emergency chemical spill control measures
environmental protection agency requirements relating to mitigating carpet water damage
hazardous materials handling
carpet characteristics, including:
carpet construction
features of fibres
sub-flooring structures
underlay types
correct techniques for extracting water and drying carpets
key requirements of legislation, regulations, codes of practice and standards relating to mitigating water damage to carpets, including IICRC S500 Water Damage Restoration
safe handling techniques for working with hazardous chemicals, including:
emergency chemical spill control measures
routes of entry and potential symptoms of exposure to chemicals
safe methods for diluting chemicals
working according to safety data sheets (SDS)
types, characteristics and processes to identify different water categories:
clean
black
grey.
Assessment Conditions
The following must be present and available to learners during assessment activities:
equipment:
as listed in the range of conditions
PPE as listed in the range of conditions
specifications:
equipment operating manuals
IICRC S500 Water Damage Restoration
product labels
SDS
safety instructions
physical conditions:
work site or venue with water ingress
relationships with team members and supervisor:
work may be conducted alone or as part of a team
relationship with client:
verbal and written communication with the client to clarify job requirements and communicate plans and costs.
Timeframe:
as specified by the task.
Assessor requirements
As a minimum, assessors must satisfy the assessor requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) current at the time of assessment.
Foundation Skills
This section describes the language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills essential to performance in this unit but not explicit in the performance criteria. | |
Skill | Performance feature |
Numeracy skills to: | dilute and mix required chemicals using whole numbers and routine fractions. |
Oral communication skills to: | communicate clearly and concisely with clients when explaining processes and expected outcomes request advice or further information respond clearly and concisely to client questions. |
Reading skills to: | interpret directions and safety instructions, including: equipment operating manuals product labels safety data sheets (SDS). |
Writing skills to: | document and report faults in equipment to manufacturer and other personnel. |
Range Statement
This section specifies work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. | |
Category must include at least two of the following types of water: | contaminated water: black grey non-contaminated water: clean. |
Hazards that must be assessed include: | biological and environmental contaminants chemical exposure via absorption, ingestion and inhalation chemical reactivity dust and fibre particulates electrical environmental allergens explosions fatigue fire manual handling noise poor ventilation slips, trips and falls syringes and sharps working in confined spaces. |
Health and safety requirements must include: | access to communication devices when working alone compliance with Safe Work Australia regulations and guidelines electrical equipment test and tag compliance emergency response procedures environmental controls hazard signs and barricades health and safety induction and refresher training manual handling techniques processes for safely dispensing chemicals risk assessment procedures, including: hazardous chemicals register hierarchy of control job safety analyses (JSA) for low-risk situations safe work method statements (SWMS) for high-risk situations incident reporting SDS selection and use of required PPE storage and maintenance of equipment according to manufacturer specifications use of first aid according to SDS information. |
Equipment must include: | air filtration device carpet-drying equipment dehumidification equipment extraction tools and units moisture detection tools. |
Personal protective equipment must include at least two of the following: | gloves eye protection protective clothing respirators safety shoes wet-work clothing. |
Sectors
Cleaning operations