This unit of competency applies to operators who are responsible for the crushing and screening of materials.

This competency is typically performed by operators working either independently or as part of a work team. At all times they would be liaising with other members of the team.

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Prepare to crush materials

1.1. Check equipment for hazards, danger and isolation tags in accordance with standard operating procedures

1.2. Perform checks to ensure all doors, inspection openings and guards are in position and secure

1.3. Make adjustments to equipment settings to ensure conformance with standard operating procedures

1.4. Notify appropriate personnel of intention to start equipment

1.5. Conduct additional pre-start checks as required in accordance with standard operating procedures

1.6. Ensure an adequate supply of materials is available to meet production requirements

2. Crush materials

2.1. Start equipment in sequence in accordance with standard operating procedures

2.2. Monitor instrument/control panels and adjust equipment/ controls/feed as necessary to remain within specified operating parameters

2.3. Make physical inspections of plant and equipment at specified intervals as required by standard operating procedures

2.4. Maximise product throughput and efficiency to maintain target parameters

2.5. Check screens and screened material to procedures

2.6. Communicate with appropriate personnel regarding the status of operations in line with enterprise requirements

2.7. Make adjustments as appropriate to achieve required output

2.8. Employ working practices which conform with occupational health and safety (OHS) and enterprise requirements

2.9. Distribute material as required

3. Rectify routine problems

3.1. Identify the range of faults that can occur during the operation

3.2. Determine and rectify fault causes by procedures/work instructions

3.3. Identify and rectify equipment failure causes in accordance with procedures/work instructions

3.4. Ensure appropriate records and log books of equipment operations are maintained to meet procedures/work instructions

3.5. Identify non-routine problems and report to designated person

4. Control hazards

4.1. Identify hazards in the crushing work area

4.2. Assess the risks arising from those hazards

4.3. Implement measures to control those risks in line with procedures and duty of care

Required skills

Required skills include:

recognising process conditions which will lead to out of specification production and taking appropriate action

implementing enterprise's standard procedures and work instructions and relevant regulatory requirements within appropriate time constraints and in a manner relevant to the operation of the crushingequipment

reading and numeracy to interpret workplace documents and technical information

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes:

startup and shutdown processes

construction and limitations of the crushing equipment and conditions

crushing fundamentals

out of specification situations

physics and chemistry (where appropriate) of process

principles of operation of process

principles of control of process

distinguish between causes of faults such as:

raw material variations

mechanical abnormalities

electrical/instrument reading variations

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.

Overview of assessment

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.

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

It is essential that the equipment and process be understood and that the importance of critical material properties is known. Competence must be demonstrated in the ability to recognise and analyse potential situations requiring action and then in reporting the condition to the appropriate individual.

Consistent performance at the required standard should be demonstrated. In particular look to see that:

types of materials to be crushed are identified

individual material feed and distribution systems are understood

OHS and safe work practices are followed

signage, tags and isolation procedures are followed

basic maintenance and inspection practices are carried out.

Competence must be demonstrated in the operation of all ancillary equipment to the level required for this unit of competency.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment will require access to an operating plant over an extended period of time, or a suitable method of gathering evidence of operating ability over a range of situations.

Assessment will occur over a range of situations which will include disruptions to normal, smooth operation.

Simulation or case studies/scenarios may be required to allow for timely assessment of parts of this unit of competency. Simulation should be based on the actual plant and will include 'walk-throughs' of the relevant competency components. A bank of scenarios/case studies/what ifs and questions will be required to probe the reasoning behind observable actions.

Method of assessment

Individual enterprises may choose to add prerequisites and co-requisites relevant to their processes.

Guidance information for assessment

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate and appropriate to the language and literacy capacity of the candidate 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 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.

Procedures

All operations are performed in accordance with standard procedures and work instructions

Materials

Materials may include:

quarried materials

feedstock

waste materials

ground minerals industries

concrete waste

Equipment and unit operations

This unit of competency includes all such items of equipment and unit operations which form part of the crushing system. These may include:

jaw crushers

cone crushers

grizzlies

grids

other equipment integral to the operation of the crushing system

Typical problems

Typical problems may include:

difficult material to be crushed

variations in temperature and moisture

variations in feed

product discharge problems

blocked screens

oversized feed

OHS

All operations are subject to stringent OHS requirements and these must not be compromised at any time. Where there is an apparent conflict between performance criteria and OHS requirements, the OHS requirements take precedence

Unit sector

Operational/technical

This unit contains employability skills.