This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to select, don, test and safely operate appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment at an incident involving dangerous goods and hazardous chemicals as well as safely combatting incidents involving hazardous materials.

A hazardous material incident is a generic term used to refer to any incident involving any hazardous materials based on physio-chemical, chemical, biological or radiological properties that pose an unreasonable risk to life, property or the environment. This includes dangerous goods, goods too dangerous to be transported and hazardous chemicals.

Incident Controllers will determine the appropriate level of personal protection clothing and equipment required at a hazardous materials incident, based on information collected at the site and advice received from electronic databases and specialist sources.

The unit applies to personnel who through their work are required to don, test and operate designated personal protective clothing and equipment at a hazardous materials incident.

The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services.

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

ELEMENTS

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Elements describe the essential outcomes.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

1

Select, don and test personal protective clothingand equipment

1.1

Appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment are identified using relevant sources and is selected and checked based on the hazard, in accordance with organisational procedures

1.2

Personal protective clothing and equipment is donned and tested, in accordance with organisational procedures and safe work practices

1.3

Personal protective clothing and equipment is checked, donned and tested prior to entry into fire or hazardous atmospheres to ensure it is operational and meets organisational Work, Health and Safety (WHS)/Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) procedures

2

Work in area of operation

2.1

Personal protective clothing and equipment is worn and/or operated to minimise risk of injury to wearer and others from environmental health hazards, in accordance with organisational procedures

2.2

Activities undertaken in the area of operations are in accordance with organisational procedures

3

Complete operations

3.1

Decontamination procedures are implemented on leaving the area, in accordance with organisational procedures

3.2

Personal protective clothing and equipment are removed without damage, in accordance with organisational procedures

3.3

Personal protective clothing and equipment are cleaned, maintained or serviced and stowed, in accordance with organisational procedures

3.4

Documentation is completed, in accordance with organisational procedures

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

Range is restricted to essential operating conditions and any other variables essential to the work environment.

Non-essential conditions may be found in the Companion Volume Implementation Guide.

personal protective equipment must include

breathing apparatus

personal protective clothing must include two or more of the following

gas tight suits

splash suits

thermal protective clothing

turnout uniform and gloves

systems for hazards associated with chemicals and dangerous goods are classified must include

ADR hazard identification system

class labels

Global Harmonised System (GHS)

HAZCHEM emergency action code

NFPA 704 HAZMAT marking system

packing groups

information sources must include

chemical data

HAZCHEM emergency action code

Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

technical specialists

and must include one of the following

Dangerous Goods - Initial Emergency Response Guides

electronic chemical databases

International Maritime Dangerous Goods List (IMDG List)

reference texts

safe storage and handling information cards

Fire

Fire