1

Assess a potential emergency

1.1

Identify emergency alarm

1.2

Clarify cause of the alarm

1.3

Prepare for response to emergency

1.4

Escalate to emergency response, as required

1.5

Report the critical situation, as required

1.6

Return to normal operations, as appropriate

2

Respond to emergency according to procedures

2.1

Activate all relevant alarms

2.2

Communicate as required to relevant personnel

2.3

Check status of all relevant plant and take appropriate action

2.4

Maintain a record of critical information, as required

2.5

Shut down plant items, as appropriate

3

Monitor emergency

3.1

Monitor any escalation of the emergency

3.2

Monitor critical variables of relevant plant

3.3

Monitor weather and other external conditions

3.4

Clarify and act on information received

3.5

Make changes as requested by incident commander

3.6

Continue to operate any parts of the plant which are still online

3.7

Communicate as required to relevant personnel

4

Conclude emergency response

4.1

Sound all clear when instructed

4.2

Confirm plant systems which are able to be operated

4.3

Bring operational plant back to best available operating conditions

4.4

Review procedures and training

4.5

Review emergency response

Required skills

Required skills include:

operating the distributed control system (DCS)

communicating effectively under stress

reacting appropriately under stress

analytical skills

monitoring the situation and minimising risks to personnel, plant and environment

working safely in accordance with operational requirements and safe systems of work

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes:

organisational procedures

emergency response structures

accessing and interpreting weather conditions

alarms, causes of alarms and false alarms

indicators of developing and existing critical situations

actions appropriate to control emergency situations

reporting procedures

emergency response communication systems, personnel and procedures

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria required skills and knowledge range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

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

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence are:

a potential emergency is assessed

an emergency is responded to using the panel

an emergency is monitored using the panel.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment will require access to an accurately simulated environment in the absence of an on-site incident environment, or a suitable method of gathering evidence of responding ability over a range of situations. A bank of scenarios/case studies/what-ifs will be required as will a bank of questions which will be used to probe the reasoning behind the observable actions.

Guidance information for assessment

Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, competency and safety requirements of the site and consistent with workplace systems or procedures.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Context

This unit of competency includes declared situations or emergency conditions in the plant or process where it has escalated to an emergency.

Incident commander

Incident commander is the person who has the responsibility to take charge of the response to the incident. The control room operator, and all other roles, act under the direction of the designated incident commander in a declared emergency incident. While this role may be delegated to another, responsibility for the correct operation of the control room and its operators remains with the commander.

Procedures

Procedures may be written, verbal, computer-based or in some other form. They may include, but are not limited to:

all work instructions

standard operating procedures

formulas/recipes

batch sheets

temporary instructions

any similar instructions provided for the smooth running of the plant

good operating practice as may be defined by industry codes of practice

Procedures would be expected to comply with any relevant government regulations.

Logs and reports

Logs and reports may include:

paper or electronic-based logs and reports

verbal/radio reports

reporting items found which require action

Appropriate action

Appropriate action includes, but is not limited to:

determining problems needing action

accessing and applying relevant technical and plant data

applying appropriate problem solving techniques to determine possible fault causes

rectifying problem using appropriate solution within area of responsibility

following through items initiated until final resolution has occurred

reporting problems outside area of responsibility/ability to resolve to designated person

Health, safety and environment (HSE)

All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent HSE requirements, which may be imposed through state or federal legislation, and these must not be compromised at any time. Where there is an apparent conflict between Performance Criteria and HSE requirements, the HSE requirements take precedence.

Unit Sector(s)

Support/generic