This unit of competency covers the skills and knowledge required to minimise the environmental impact of a plant and/or process. It applies to all resources used and products made by the plant, capital projects and improvements brought about by changes in work practices and procedures.

This unit of competency applies to experienced operators or those in similar roles who are required to apply in-depth knowledge of process and plant to in order to develop practices or procedures for conserving resources and minimising pollution and waste that will deliver the most benefits.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

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

examine plant records, data and operating procedures and practices to determine options for:

maximisation of product yield from raw materials

reduction in volume of pollutants made and/or reduction in concentration/intensity of pollutants made and/or reduction in emissions

minimisation of wastes

determine relative benefits of the options and develop processes/procedures to achieve preferred options

document preferred options and complete written and/or electronic records.

Evidence must be provided that demonstrates knowledge of:

resources used by the plant and the impact on the environment and society of using resources

nature and source of pollutants and waste materials produced by the plant

nature and severity of the effect the pollutants and waste materials can have on the environment and society

types of local conditions that can make environmental threats more ‘sensitive’

pathways of entry to the environment from the plant

process parameters and limits

product specifications and tolerances

principles of operation of plant/equipment

science (e.g. physics, chemistry and biochemistry) relevant to the process, its materials and eco impacts

regulatory framework

organisation procedures, including those covering:

environmental management

safety, emergency and hazard control

procurement.

The unit should be assessed holistically and the judgement of competence based on a holistic assessment of the evidence.

The collection of performance evidence is best done from a report and/or folio of evidence drawn from:

a single project which provides sufficient evidence of the requirements of all the elements and performance criteria

multiple smaller projects which together provide sufficient evidence of the requirements of all the elements and performance criteria.

A third-party report, or similar, may be needed to testify to the work done by the individual, particularly when the project has been done as part of a project team.

Assessment should use a real project in an operational workplace. Where this is not possible or practical, assessment must occur using a sufficiently rigorous simulated environment reflecting realistic operational workplace conditions. This must cover all aspects of workplace performance, including environment, task skills, task management skills, contingency management skills and job role environment skills.

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).

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.

Conditions for assessment must include access to all tools, equipment, materials and documentation required, including relevant workplace procedures, product and manufacturing specifications associated with this unit.

The regulatory framework will be reflected in workplace policies and procedures and is not required to be independently assessed.

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

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

In addition, the assessor or anyone acting in subject matter expert role in assessment must demonstrate both technical competency and currency. If the assessor cannot demonstrate technical competency and currency they must assess with a subject matter expert who does meet these requirements.

Technical competence can be demonstrated through one or more of:

relevant VET or other qualification/Statement of Attainment

appropriate workplace experience undertaking the type of work being assessed under routine and non-routine conditions

appropriate workplace experience supervising/evaluating the type of work being assessed under routine and non-routine conditions

Currency can be demonstrated through one or more of:

being currently employed undertaking the type of work being assessed

being employed by the organisation undertaking the type of work being assessed and having maintained currency in accordance with that organisation’s policies and procedures

having consulted/had contact with an organisation undertaking the type of work being assessed within the last twelve months, the consultation/contact being related to assessment

conducting on-the-job training/assessments of the type of work being assessed

being an active member of a relevant professional body and participating in activities relevant to the assessment of this type of work.

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.

Support