1. Establish safe work practices

1.1 Determine, record and apply relevant legal requirements and OHS standards to the installation and maintenance of computer hardware

1.2 Determine, record and apply requirements specified by hardware manufacturers

1.3 Determine, record and apply safe work practices, taking into account legal and manufacturer requirements

2. Establish location requirements for hardware and peripherals

2.1 Determine and apply suitable environmental conditions for hardware and peripherals

2.2 Determine and apply system protection devices where appropriate

2.3 Determine and apply requirements when moving hardware

2.4 Determine and apply suitable storage principles for hardware and associated peripherals and media

3. Establish maintenance practices

3.1 Determine maintenance requirements specified by the equipment manufacturer

3.2 Produce maintenance schedules

3.3 Perform diagnostic functions, including replacing suspect components with other serviceable components and reloading associated software

3.4 Determine whether unserviceable components are replaceable through warranty, replacement or upgrade

3.5 Perform diagnostic functions using the operating system (OS) and third-party diagnostic tools

4. Determine appropriate hardware quality standards

4.1 Consider and apply business requirements in respect of hardware matters

4.2 Determine and apply quality standards to the selection of appropriate hardware and associated peripherals

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the ability to:

perform diagnostic functions by replacing components, reloading software and by using operating system and other diagnostic tools

establish siting requirements for system hardware and associated peripheral devices

implement safe work practices

determine maintenance requirements and establish maintenance schedule

apply appropriate quality standards to computer hardware and peripherals.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure access to:

computer hardware

software and diagnostic tools

warranty records and reports, maintenance schedules, vendor documentation and safe work practices

appropriate learning and assessment support when required

modified equipment for people with special needs.

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

direct observation of candidate performing a range of diagnostic tasks

review of maintenance schedule documentation completed by candidate

verbal or written questioning to assess candidate’s knowledge of:

quality standards applied to computer hardware and peripherals

safe work practices.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, where appropriate.

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and suitable to the communication skill level, language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.

Indigenous people and other people from a non-English speaking background may need additional support.

In cases where practical assessment is used it should be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge.

OHS standards may include:

electrical safety

ergonomics in the workplace:

correct posture

style and adjustments of chair

type of desk

type of monitor

working position

length of time in front of computer

lighting level

placement of light fittings

repetitive strain injury (RSI) prevention

safe lifting methods

ventilation.

Hardware may include:

communications equipment:

modems or other connectivity devices, including digital subscriber line (DSL) modems

wireless access points

network equipment:

cables

hubs

racks

routers

servers

switches

personal computers (PCs)

remote sites

servers

workstations.

Safe work practices may include:

codes of practice

hazards and hazardous material

manual handling

physical separation of data cables and mains cables

reporting and following OHS procedures

testing and tagging electrical mains cables.

Environmental conditions may include:

air circulation

dust

extreme cold

heat

moisture

temperature stability.

System protection devices may include:

line conditioning

surge protection

uninterruptible power supplies (UPS).

Peripherals may include:

Bluetooth device

Firewire (IEEE 1394) device

keyboard

laptop

mobile phone

modem

mouse

multimedia kit

pen

personal digital assistant (PDA), such as palmtop

printer

scanner

speaker

tape cartridge

touch pad

universal serial bus (USB) device

wi-fi router.

Equipment may include:

DSL modems

hard drives

hubs

modems or other connectivity devices

monitors

other peripheral devices

PCs

PDA

printers

switches

workstations.

Maintenance may include:

faulty components returned to depot

on-site response

planned maintenance:

dust and grease removal from filters and components

lubrication of fan and blower bearings

remote diagnostics.

Components may include:

CD and DVD drives

central processing unit (CPU)

complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) battery

fax or modem cards

interface cards

motherboards

power supply

random access memory (RAM).

Software may include:

application:

database

internet browser

spreadsheet

word-processing

commercial

customised

in-house

programming:

assembler

compiler

development tools

system:

computer security software

device drivers

OS.

Operating systems may include:

GNU and Linux

Mac OS X

Microsoft Windows

Unix-like operating systems:

HP-UX

IBM AIX

Silicon Graphics IRIX

Sun Solaris.

Business requirements may include:

capability for further system upgrades

cost and quality

existing facilities

industry standard components

installation:

ease

lead time

licensing issues

reliability

robustness

service level agreements (SLAs)

technical support required:

in-house

vendor.