Generally the operator would be part of a team, though on occasions would be required to work individually and in isolation and would be expected to be capable of performing all parts of this unit. At all times they would be liaising and cooperating with other members of the team.

The operator would:

identify and report on the nature of civil works to be undertaken in relation to pipeline easements

establish the suitability of the equipment and machinery to be used in the work

ensure the site is accessible to equipment and authorised personnel

work with third parties and contractors.

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Prepare for work.

Identify work requirements

Identify and control hazards

Coordinate with appropriate personnel

2. Interpret civil drawings and data

2.1. Determine required civil works through the interpretation of reports and investigations

2.2. Access and interpret pipeline alignment drawings to determine area of excavation/civil activity

2.3. Liaise with appropriate authorities, third parties and/or company personnel.

3. Inspect machinery

3.1. Inspect equipment required to undertake civil works to ensure that it conforms to requirements

3.2. Determine most appropriate method of deploying equipment to site

3.3. Monitor equipment deployment to site and take appropriate action.

4. Prepare easement/site for civil activities

4.1. Inspect site for the civil works prior to any work commencing

4.2. Ensure site is prepared

4.3. Apply knowledge of pipeline crossing design prior to excavation/ activity commencing

4.4. Issue permits for work to be carried out if appropriate.

5. Monitor easement/site for civil activities

5.1. Monitor civil works and take appropriate action

5.2. Restore the work affected area on completion of civil works

5.3. Close issued permit

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level, required for this unit.

Required skills

Competence includes the ability to isolate the causes of problems in pipeline easements and to distinguish between causes of problems/alarm/fault indications such as:

inappropriate work practices

visual evidence of a pipeline rupture

erosion and subsidence

equipment breakdowns

smell or sound of escaping pipeline contents.

Required knowledge

The knowledge referred to in the Evidence Guide for this unit includes:

pipe locating equipment

the operation of gas detection equipment

use of safety signage/barricades and materials

the use of pipeline alignment drawings

relevant State and Federal legislation

legal obligations and standing of parties as it relates to access rights where civil works are conducted on easements that require access to private property

company procedures and company work instructions

environmental management programs.

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Assessment of this unit should include demonstrated competence on actual plant and equipment in a work environment. The unit will be assessed in as holistic a manner as is practical and may be integrated with the assessment of other relevant units of competency. Assessment will occur over a range of situations, which will include disruptions to normal, smooth operation.

Simulation may be required to allow for assessment of parts of this unit. Simulation should be based on the actual plant and will include walk-throughs of the relevant competency components. Simulations may also include the use of case studies/scenarios, role plays and 3D virtual reality interactive systems. In the case of evacuation training or training for competencies practised in life threatening situations, simulation may be used for the bulk of the training.

This unit of competency requires an application of the knowledge contained in the use of the pipeline and its integral equipment, to the level needed to maintain control and recognise and resolve problems. This can be assessed through questioning and the use of what-if scenarios both on the plant (during demonstration of normal operations and walk-throughs of abnormal operations) and off the plant.

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

Competence must be demonstrated in the ability to recognise and analyse potential situations requiring action and then in implementing appropriate corrective action. The emphasis should be on the ability to stay out of trouble rather than on recovery from a disaster.

Consistent performance should be demonstrated. In particular look to see that:

company policies and procedures for pipeline maintenance work are understood and followed

early warning signs of equipment needing attention or with potential problems are recognised

the range of possible causes can be identified and analysed and the most likely cause determined

appropriate action is planned and implemented to rectify identified problems.

These aspects may be best assessed using a range of scenarios/case studies/what-ifs as the stimulus with a walk through forming part of the response. These assessment activities should include a range of problems, including new, unusual and improbable situations which may have been generated from the past incident history of pipeline maintenance work, incidents on similar pipeline systems around the world, hazard analysis activities and similar sources.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment will require access to pipeline easements and pipeline maintenance work sites over an extended period of time, or a suitable method of gathering evidence of operating 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.

Method of assessment

In all plants it may be appropriate to assess this unit concurrently with relevant teamwork and communication units. Consider co-assessment with:

PMASUP241B Maintain pipeline easements

PMASUP236B Operate vehicles in the field.

MSAPMPER300B Issue work permits

Guidance information for assessment

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate and appropriate to the oracy, language and literacy capacity of the assessee and the work being performed.

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 italicized wording, if used in the Performance Criteria, is detailed below. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs if the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.

Codes of practice/ standards

Where reference is made to industry codes of practice, and/or Australian/international standards, the latest version must be used.

Context

This unit of competency includes all such items of equipment and unit operations which form part of the monitoring system. For your enterprise this may include:

pipe locating equipment

gas detection equipment

transport and excavation equipment

hand tools

safety signage/barricades and materials.

Site preparation

Site preparation includes:

site preparation in accordance with outcomes of inspection

conduct hazard analysis complete, adequate and thorough

site layout is appropriate

lay down areas appropriate

site access is suitable

Monitoring of civil works

Monitoring of civil works to include:

ensuring pipeline integrity

adherence to permit to work and procedure requirements

adherence to required health, safety, environmental and legislative requirements for site/works.

Typical problems

Typical problems might include:

isolation and risk of exposure

gas or fluid leaks

accidental or geophysical rupturing of pipelines.

Appropriate action

Appropriate action includes:

determining problems needing action

determining 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 to designated person.

Procedures

Procedures may be written, verbal, computer-based or in some other form. They include:

all work instructions

standard operating procedures

formulas/recipes

batch sheets

temporary instructions

any similar instructions provided for the smooth running of the plant.

For the purposes of this Training Package, 'procedures' also includes good operating practice as may be defined by industry codes of practice (eg Responsible Care) and government regulations.

Health, safety and environment (HSE)

All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environment 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

Support/generic

This unit contains employability skills.