ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Prepare the team for workplace emergencies

1.1 Pre-incident planning sessions are conducted to familiarise team members with relevant workplace procedures and safe and effective actions to control workplace emergencies according to relevant legislative requirements.

1.2 Processes are developed and implemented to ensure the competence of team members is developed and maintained.

1.3 Discussions, practice drills and exercises are conducted in accordance with workplace emergency procedures.

1.4 Emergency equipment is confirmed to be in a serviceable and accessible condition in accordance with standard/operating procedures.

2. Coordinate the response to control workplace emergencies

2.1 Initial response team is made aware of the workplace emergency.

2.2 Team's response to the emergency is coordinated according to workplace emergency procedures, risk assessment and available resources.

2.3 Situation and its likely development is constantly assessed, hazards are identified and appropriate precautions are applied and maintained to safeguard team members.

2.4 Appropriate actions to safely control the emergency are selected, and contingency plans are developed and implemented if needed.

2.5 Instructions to implement selected actions are conveyed to team members in a clear manner and confirmed with them.

2.6 Actions chosen for the team to implement are consistent with available resources and the priority order of safely protecting self, other people and property where safe to do so.

2.7 Team actions are monitored, recorded and adjusted if needed to ensure safe and appropriate action is maintained.

3. Communicate with and coordinate personnel

3.1 Effective communication with team members is constantly maintained according to communication systems.

3.2 Activities are consistent with the workplace emergency procedures and team members' actions are coordinated.

3.3 Team members' actions are coordinated with the activities of other initial response teams .

3.4 On arrival incident controller is briefed and control is transferred to the appropriate emergency services/specialist response team.

3.5 Liaison is established with the responding emergency services or specialist response team, and all relevant information and support is provided to them.

4. Lead team's recovery from workplace emergencies

4.1 Team actions are coordinated to prevent a re-occurrence of the emergency and to enable recovery activities to be commenced safely.

4.2 Appropriate assistance is coordinated, within the scope of the workplace emergency procedures.

4.3 Equipment is checked, serviced and stored, replaced or disposed of, to ensure its readiness for use .

4.4 Any injuries, accidents or near misses involving the team are reported and critical incident support services for the team are requested in accordance with relevant regulatory requirements.

4.5 A debriefing of the team is conducted and an incident report is prepared and submitted according to workplace procedures.

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

Required Skills

coordinate the use of emergency equipment safely and effectively under emergency conditions

communication skills during emergencies

ability to take on a leadership role, which includes giving clear directions under emergency conditions, making decisions appropriate to the situation and keeping others appropriately informed

Required Knowledge

alarm systems and associated equipment

appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment

building fire safety features

dealing with contingencies

equipment operating characteristics, limitations, hazards, precautions, procedures and general care

general emergency priorities and strategies

hazards and relevant precautions

how people react in emergency situations

procedures for responding to alarms

risk assessment

roles, responsibilities and authority of emergency services personnel

situational awareness

survival, rescue and recovery procedures

tactics for safely handling specific emergencies

workplace emergency management plan

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

Assessment must confirm the ability to lead a safe and prompt response to a workplace emergency; to constantly assess the situation, identify hazards, apply and coordinate appropriate precautions; to select, implement and coordinate safe and effective actions by the team; to support the responding emergency services or specialist response teams; and to complete appropriate reports.

Consistency in performance

Competency should be demonstrated over time with a range of emergencies that could be expected in the workplace, including dealing with plausible contingencies while leading a team.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Context of assessment

Competency should be assessed in a simulated environment under conditions that safely replicate a range of workplace emergency situations.

Specific resources for assessment

Access to:

scenarios that reflect emergency situations that may be expected in the workplace

workplace emergency initial response equipment

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 in the Performance Criteria is detailed below.

Pre-incident planning may include:

contingency plans, sketches or notes about workplace layout, features, hazards and emergency control facilities

discussions and/or use of operational procedures involving emergency plans, sketches, notes, procedures or material safety data sheets

Emergency equipment may include:

emergency vehicles, trailers, trolleys or caches

fire protection equipment

forcible entry tools

life support equipment

monitors (or turrets)

monitoring equipment

personal protective clothing and equipment

rescue equipment

spill or leak control kits

Hazards may include:

chemical, biological, radiological

climatic

electrical

environmental

explosive

fire

mechanical

psychological (e.g. critical incident stress)

noise related

security related

storm/flood

structural

thermal

wildlife related

Other initial response teams may include:

damage control

emergency control organisation

fire team

first aid

maintenance

security