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

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

Assessors should ensure that candidates can:

identify non-conforming calibration tasks and requests and assess their significance

research current, alternative calibration methods and equipment for a given request

quantify the potential or actual impact of a wide range of test/environmental/equipment influences on data quality

explain complex calibration procedures to clients and clarify requirements and deviations

maintain very close attention to procedures, accuracy and precision of measurement to ensure integrity of test/calibration results

critically examine each calibration step to ensure repeatability and validity of data

prepare test/calibration documentation that is accurate and complies with requirements

operate a wide range of equipment correctly and safely

apply all relevant enterprise procedures to ensure the quality and integrity of the services or data they provide

recognise opportunities for improvements to procedures.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.

This unit of competency may be assessed with:

MSL925001A Analyse data and report results

MSL925002A Analyse measurements and estimate uncertainties.

Resources may include:

specialised calibration/test equipment, reference standards and materials and laboratory facilities

access to a library of calibration methods, procedures and equipment specifications

enterprise quality manual and procedures.

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested:

review of calibration results, uncertainty calculations and documentation completed by the candidate

feedback from supervisors and/or customers regarding quality of calibration services provided by the candidate

observation of the candidate conducting non-standard calibrations

oral or written questioning to check underpinning knowledge of non-standard calibration procedures.

In all cases, practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly.

Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.

Access must be provided to appropriate learning and/or assessment support when required.

The language, literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work like environment.

This competency in practice

Industry representatives have provided the case studies below to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and to show its relevance in a workplace setting.

Background

Calibration technicians/specialists have the skills and knowledge to operate, maintain and calibrate a wide variety of complex test equipment and measuring instruments with limited guidance. They must remain abreast of technical and equipment advances, interpret complex technical information accurately and liaise with clients to clarify their needs. They must demonstrate high levels of initiative and concentration when performing technically demanding measurements, providing solutions for non-conforming work and when adjusting or repairing complex instruments. The calibration specialist's workload can be routine and repetitive. A perpetual back-log of work and the constant need to reduce turn-around-time to meet client demands coupled with enterprise productivity goals can induce stress and mental fatigue if not carefully managed. However, it is essential that personnel are able to perform tests and associated work tasks without undue pressure that might influence technical judgement if 'integrity of measurement' is to be retained.

Calibration (1)

A client has delivered a new model vibration transducer to the laboratory and would like a full test report on the item. A calibration technician assesses the job. They conclude that because the item is new to the industry, the laboratory will probably not have a documented calibration procedure. A quick ring around the company's other laboratories confirms that a procedure has not been written yet. They analyse the item's technical specifications and realise that although a generic procedure will suffice for most of the tests, it will have to be modified.

The technician reports these concerns to the supervisor who confirms that the client wants to know if the item meets the manufacturer's specifications. Approval is given to the technician to modify a previous procedure. The revised procedure is shown to the supervisor who checks each step and confirms the test is technically justified and all uncertainties have been calculated and documented.

The technician sets up the reference standards, confirms they are fully operational and within specification and begin the test. Each stage of the test is carefully monitored to ensure the data is correct and valid. On completion, another technician conducts the test and the data is compared. The supervisor is confident the test and data are valid and a report is generated, including a method validation summary for the laboratory's records.

Calibration (2)

A calibration technician is scheduled to calibrate a client's signal generator in accordance with the manufacturer's procedure. The technician reads the procedure and assembles all the required reference standards but notices the laboratory's reference frequency counter is not available because it has been sent away for calibration. The technician needs to substitute another instrument and so scans the other workbenches. They decide on a particular model and refer to the instrument's technical specifications to confirm that it has all the required ranges and is accurate enough. Convinced this item will do the job, the technician seeks and gains approval from the supervisor. There is no need to consult with the customer because the substitution will have no negative influence on the results. The technician completes the calibration in accordance with the procedure. In the final report, they document the details of the replacement equipment used in the test to ensure the repeatability of measurements and to comply with statutory regulations.

Required skills

Required skills include:

operating a wide range of equipment correctly and safely in accordance with enterprise procedures

identifying non-conforming calibration tasks and requests and assessing their significance

researching current, alternative calibration methods and equipment

quantifying the potential or actual impact of a wide range of test/environmental/equipment influences on data quality

explaining complex calibration procedures to clients

maintaining close attention to procedures, accuracy and precision of measurement to ensure integrity of test/calibration results

critically examining each calibration step to ensure repeatability and validity of data

preparing test/calibration documentation that is accurate and complies with requirements

recognising opportunities for improvements to procedures

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes:

requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories (e.g. AS ISO/IEC 17025) as they affect job role and responsibilities

limits of authority and procedures for changing or deviating from standard calibration methods and procedures

structure and terminology used in standard calibration methods, procedures, requests and instructions

current calibration methods, procedures and technology applications used in the laboratory

implications of changing or deviating from standard calibration procedures

equipment specifications and limitations and the implications of equipment substitution

hierarchy and appropriate selection of reference materials

handling, transport, storage and operation of reference and working standards

laboratory environmental control requirements

calculation procedures to give results in appropriate accuracy, precision and units

equipment and testing method troubleshooting procedures

methods for statistical analysis (means, ranges and standard deviations) and estimation of uncertainty of measurement (may include the use of software)

reporting procedures and legislative requirements

enterprise and/or legal traceability requirements

relevant health, safety and environmental requirements

layout of the enterprise, divisions and laboratory

organisational structure of the enterprise

lines of communication

role of laboratory services to the enterprise and customers

Specific industry

Additional knowledge requirements may apply for different industry sectors. For example, testing conducted in the following fields:

acoustic and vibration measurement

chemical testing

construction materials testing

electrical testing

heat and temperature measurement

mechanical testing

metrology

non-destructive testing

optics and radiometry

pressure testing

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.

Codes of practice

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

Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements

Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements may include:

Australian and international standards, such as:

AS ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories

AS/NZS ISO 9001:2008 Quality management systems - Requirements

AS/NZS ISO 10005:2006 Quality management systems - Guidelines for quality plans

AS/NZS ISO 10012:2004 Quality assurance requirements for measurement equipment

ISO 5725 Accuracy (trueness and precision) of measurement methods and results

ISO/IEC Guide 98-3:2008 Uncertainty of measurement - Part 3 Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM)

Eurachem/CITAC Guide CG4 Quantifying uncertainty in analytical measurement

material safety data sheets (MSDS)

enterprise recording and reporting procedures and standard operating procedures (SOPs)

quality manuals, equipment and operating/technical manuals

test methods and calibration procedures (validated and authorised)

test methods and calibration procedures published by international, national or regional standards, reputable technical organisations, scientific texts or journals and equipment manufacturers

incident and accident/injury reports

schematics, workflows, laboratory layouts and production and laboratory schedules

Non-standard calibrations

Non-standard calibrations involve detecting and dealing with non-conforming work associated with the testing and/or calibrating of equipment, such as:

common test equipment, such as anemometers, balances, barometers, calipers, environmental chambers, hygrometers, manometers, masses, micrometers, pressure equipment, spectrophotometers, tape measures, rules, temperature (digital) indicating systems, thermometers, thermocouples, timing devices, vibration analysis equipment and weighing instruments

electrical reference standards, such as air-lines, analogue meters, attenuators, bridges-manual balance, capacitors, DC voltage references, digital instruments (calibrators, DMMs, electronic transfer standards), inductors, instrument and ratio transformers, instrument transformer test sets, potentiometers, resistors, radio frequency (RF) power meters, RF thermistor mounts and thermal converters, shunts, time interval and frequency standards, transfer standards AC-DC, voltage dividers, volt ratio boxes and watt-hour references

working standards, instruments and testing equipment, such as electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test equipment, field strength meters, flammability test equipment, gauges/test fingers/test pins, hipot testers, impact hammers, impulse testers, instrument calibrators, network analysers, signal generators and spectrum and harmonic analysers

Hazards

Hazards may include:

electric shock

disturbance or interruption of services

manual handling of heavy equipment boxes

sources of electromagnetic radiation (lasers, RF generators/transmitters)

fluids under pressure

heat sources, such as ovens

Safety procedures

Safety procedures may include:

use of personal protective equipment, such as hearing protection, gloves, safety glasses and coveralls

ensuring access to service shut-off points

handling and storing hazardous materials and equipment in accordance with labels, MSDS, manufacturer's instructions and enterprise procedures and regulations

regular cleaning of equipment and work areas

Communication

Communication may be with:

supervisors and managers (laboratory, quality and customer service)

peers and other laboratory or relevant technical personnel

clients and end users of equipment

external auditors, or accreditation agency for example, National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA)

equipment manufacturers and suppliers of spare parts

Working environment

The working environment will have a controlled environment but could be a:

purpose-built designed facility

mobile facility in the field

Occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental management requirements

OHS and environmental management requirements:

all operations must comply with enterprise OHS and environmental management requirements, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation - these requirements must not be compromised at any time

all operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied

where relevant, users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and State and Territory Departments of Health