This unit of competency covers the ability to select and use appropriate reference standards of measurement in accordance with standard procedures and industry best practice. It also involves storing and transporting reference standards correctly and maintaining their integrity during all trade measurement activities.

This unit of competency is applicable to trade measurement inspectors appointed under national measurement legislation who may use reference standards of measurement for inspecting a range of pre-packaged products, trading practices or measuring instruments as part of their allocated duties. The unit also covers verifiers who operate under a servicing licence to install and/or repair, test and verify specific classes of trade measuring instruments. Inspectors and verifiers must work safely and this may require applying basic first aid, entering confined spaces, working with heavy machinery and site safety induction.

While no specific licensing or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication, all inspection activity is legislated under the National Measurement Act 1960.

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all of the requirements of the elements and performance criteria, and include demonstration of:

selecting, calibrating, using and maintaining appropriate reference standards in accordance with specified procedures on at least three (3) occasions

maintaining the integrity of reference standards by controlling the operating environment and ensuring that all storage, transport and handling is in accordance with organisational procedures and industry best practice

ensuring that the inspection, maintenance, calibration and documented status of reference standards are completed in accordance with organisational procedures

selecting appropriate reference standards for specific trade measurement activities after careful consideration of the activity’s scope, and expected outcomes and limitations, including the operating environment

validating reference standard suitability against the activity’s scope and expected outcomes in accordance with legislative requirements and organisational policy and procedures

accessing and accurately interpreting reference standard Certificates of Verification, information about tolerances and measurement reports

using the reference standard correctly, including conditioning and applying corrections, as required, to produce consistent and accurate measurements

assessing results of trade measurement activities and analysing any variances from the expected outcomes to identify any isolated or systemic problems linked to the reference standard or its use

using advanced communication and negotiation skills to:

explain the purpose of the trade measurement activities

access external equipment and resources to complete the activity

explain procedures and expected outcomes of activities to traders and managers

organise large reference standards to be dispatched ahead of visit to trader's premises

performing specified calculations involving:

fractions, decimals, ratios, proportions and percentages

scientific notation, correct units and the correct number of significant figures

interpretation of statistical quantities, such as mean, median, mode, range, variance and standard deviation

maintaining the security and confidentiality of data in accordance with organisational and regulatory requirements

reporting results in the required formats and expected timeframe

working safely.

Must provide evidence that demonstrates knowledge of:

general physical principles and concepts, including weight, mass, gravity, density, volume, length and area

metrological terms, including maximum permissible errors, maximum permissible variations, traceability and uncertainty

Australian legal units of measurement

organisations involved in legal metrology in Australia

hierarchy and classes of reference standards used in legal metrology

purpose of Certificates of Verification issued under the national measurement legislation and the information contained in them

National Measurement Institute (NMI) policy requirements and National Instrument Test Procedures and operating procedures for equipment and reference standards used in job role, including:

transport/storage specifications and procedures for test/specialised equipment and reference standards, and variations requiring approval

maintenance requirements for reference standards and test equipment, including when manufacturer's requirements are unavailable

procedures covering maintenance, recording and reporting faults and calibration

actions to be taken where legal traceability cannot be confirmed

actions to be taken if reference standards and test equipment are found to be defective

article measurement and measuring instrument test procedures

test conditions and possible environmental impacts on performance of reference standards and measuring instruments

key preparation/measurement steps in test method

calculation steps to give results in appropriate units and precision

maximum permissible errors for instruments under test and tolerances for reference standards

organisational safety procedures and requirements of applicable Commonwealth, state and territory work/occupational health and safety (WHS/OHS) legislation

basic first aid and site safety induction, if required.

Judgement of competence must be based on holistic assessment of the evidence. Assessment methods must confirm consistency of performance over time, rather than a single assessment event.

This unit of competency should be assessed in the workplace, or a simulated workplace environment. A simulated workplace environment must reflect realistic operational workplace conditions that cover all aspects of workplace performance, including the environment, task skills, task management skills, contingency management skills and job role environment skills.

Foundation skills are integral to competent performance of the unit and should not be assessed separately.

Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, literacy and numeracy requirements of the work being performed and the needs of the candidate.

Knowledge evidence may be collected concurrently with performance evidence or through an independent process, such as workbooks, written assessments or interviews (provided a record is kept in each case).

This unit of competency may be assessed with MSMTM units dealing with the inspection or verification of trade measurement instruments and inspection of trading practices and pre-packaged products.

Holistic assessment methods include:

review of maintenance and calibration records and analysis of results from trade measurement activities prepared by the candidate

feedback from supervisors and peers regarding the candidate's ability to use and maintain reference standards in accordance with legislative and organisational procedures

questions to assess understanding of relevant procedures and specific actions required in response to given reference standard scenarios

observation of the candidate using and/or maintaining reference standards.

Access is required to instruments, equipment, materials, workplace documentation, procedures and specifications associated with this unit, including, but not limited to:

latest versions of appropriate documentation, such as Certificates of Verification, NMI policy, National Instrument Test Procedures for using reference standards and relevant legislation

equipment manuals, material safety data sheets (MSDS), safety procedures and safety equipment

records, such as test reports, audit reports, instrument history and test results

measuring instruments, test equipment and reference standards

computer and relevant software and/or organisation information management system.

Assessors must satisfy the assessor competency requirements that are in place at the time of the assessment as set by the VET regulator.

The assessor must demonstrate both technical competency and currency.

Technical competence can be demonstrated through:

relevant VET or other qualification/Statement of Attainment AND/OR

relevant workplace experience in trade measurement at least to the level being assessed and broad industry knowledge (such as a relevant industry qualification).

Currency can be demonstrated through:

performing the competency being assessed as part of current employment in trade measurement OR

having consulted with trade measurement inspectors and/or verifiers performing the competency being assessed within the last twelve months.

This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential to performance.

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.

Trade measurement