Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to prepare for and sustain effective work within the construction industry. It covers the identification and clarification of the construction industry work context, scope and employment conditions, responsibility required to be accepted by the individual, working in a team, individual career path improvement activities and sustainable work practices and techniques.

Application of the unit 

This unit of competency supports the attainment of basic understanding of the structure, culture and role expectations of workers within the construction industry and sustainable use of materials and resources.

Prerequisite units 

Nil

Employability skills 

This unit contains employability skills.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1. Identify industry structure, occupations, job roles and work conditions.

1.1. Scope and nature of the construction industry and its national economic importance are recognised.

1.2. Construction job roles , occupations and trade callings of the construction industry are identified and related to direct and indirect employment opportunities.

1.3. Trends in technology, work processes and environmental issues which are likely to impact on the construction industry are identified and evaluated in terms of employment options.

1.4. Construction employment conditions, organisational requirements, responsibilities and duties are identified and related to jobs and career paths.

1.5. Safe work methods and practices are identified to meet Australian government and state and territory OHS legislative requirements.

2. Accept responsibility for own workload.

2.1. Work activities are planned and priorities and deadlines are established with work group members  such as supervisors and communicated to others whose own work plans and timelines may be affected.

2.2. Work is completed against the plan and to the standard expected in the workplace and in accordance with any guidelines, directions and specifications provided by supervisors, including use of personal protective equipment .

2.3. Variations and difficulties affecting performance or quality requirements  of own work are identified and these issues reported to appropriate personnel using appropriate communication techniques and accessing relevant information .

2.4. Additional support needed to achieve or improve work outcomes or quality is communicated clearly to the appropriate personnel.

3. Work in a team.

3.1. Site goals and the contributions to be made by teams  in a construction activity are identified and understood.

3.2. Individual contributions to team activities are identified and confirmed with others in the team.

3.3. Assistance and encouragement are provided to other team members wishing to meet or enhance their role and the role of the team.

3.4. Team improvements are initiated where possible and/or encouraged from other team members.

3.5. Causes of disharmony and other barriers to achievement are referred to the appropriate party for resolution.

4. Identify own development needs.

4.1. Skills and knowledge necessary to work effectively in the construction industry are identified.

4.2. Steps are taken, in consultation with appropriate personnel, to identify own learning needs  for future work requirements.

4.3. Appropriate opportunities to learn and develop required skills and knowledge for future construction industry work opportunities are identified and evaluated.

5. Identify current resource use and identify opportunities to improve resource efficiency.

5.1. Work site environmental and resource efficiency issues  and resources used in own work role are identified and recorded using appropriate techniques .

5.2. Work site environmental hazards  relating to the use of resources are identified and reported to designated personnel.

5.3. Enterprise plans to improve environmental practices, environmental requirements  and resource efficiency are followed.

5.4. Suggestions  are made for improvements to work site practices in own work area.

6. Comply with environmental regulations.

6.1. Procedures are followed to ensure compliance with environmental requirements.

6.2. Breaches or potential breaches are reported to designated personnel .

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit.

Required skills 

Required skills for this unit are:

• communication skills to:

• enable clear and direct communication, using questioning to identify and confirm requirements, share information, listen and understand
• establish and communicate deadlines
• follow supervisor's instructions
• read and interpret:

• documentation from a variety of sources
• drawings and specifications

• report faults
• report variations or difficulties in performance and additional support required
• use language and concepts appropriate to cultural differences
• use and interpret non-verbal communication, such as hand signals
• written skills to record resource use

• identifying and accurately reporting to appropriate personnel any faults in tools, equipment or materials
• numeracy skills to apply measurements and make calculations
• organisational skills, including the ability to plan and set out work
• teamwork skills to work with others to action tasks and relate to people from a range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with varying physical and mental abilities
• technological skills to:

• use a range of mobile technology, such as two-way radio and mobile phones
• voice and hand signals to access and understand site-specific instructions.

Required knowledge 

Required knowledge for this unit is:

• basic understanding of sustainability on a construction work site
• common construction industry terminology and interpersonal communication requirements
• construction industry quality requirements
• construction industry size, scope of work and national economic importance
• environmental and resource hazards/risks, including compliance with relevant legislation associated with the environment, job specifications and procedures
• federal, state, and territory environmental or sustainability legislation, regulations and codes of practice relevant to this sector and applicable to own work role, e.g. Building Code of Australia (BCA)
• job safety analysis (JSA) and safe work method statements
• relevant environmental and resource efficiency systems and practices
• relevant industrial awards and enterprise agreements
• relevant legislation, regulations and workplace requirements relating to provisions covering discrimination and equal employment opportunity
• site meeting procedures
• typical site/team work structure, methods and communication processes.

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

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 

This unit of competency could be assessed in the workplace or a close simulation of the workplace environment, provided that simulated or project-based assessment techniques fully replicate construction workplace conditions, materials, activities, responsibilities and procedures.

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

A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence of the ability to:

• locate, interpret and apply relevant construction industry information, standards and specifications
• comply with site safety plans and OHS legislation, regulations and codes of practice applicable to workplace operations
• comply with organisational policies and procedures, including quality requirements
• communicate and work effectively and safely with others
• explain to others scope, employment and economic importance of the construction industry
• locate and identify documentation on site employment conditions and source of these conditions
• set personal and team work goals and participate in site meetings
• respond to personal conflict situations
• identify personal development needs and apply learning to future work tasks
• follow workplace procedures according to instructions given and report information only at own level of responsibility, including:

• complying with environmental/sustainability legislation, and organisational and procedural requirements relevant to specific daily responsibilities
• use of tools, such as an inspection checklist to collect and measure relevant information on resource and energy consumption
• participating in and supporting improved environmental use of resources
• recognising efficiency processes involving work practices and reporting as required.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

This competency is to be assessed using standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints.

Assessment of essential underpinning knowledge will usually be conducted in an off-site context.

Assessment is to comply with relevant regulatory or Australian standards' requirements.

Resource implications for assessment include:

• an induction procedure and requirement
• realistic tasks or simulated tasks covering the mandatory task requirements
• relevant specifications and work instructions
• tools and equipment appropriate to applying safe work practices
• support materials appropriate to activity
• workplace instructions relating to safe work practices and addressing hazards and emergencies
• material safety data sheets
• research resources, including industry related systems information.

Reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities must be made to assessment processes where required. This could include access to modified equipment and other physical resources, and the provision of appropriate assessment support.

Method of assessment 

Assessment methods must:

• satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the Construction, Plumbing and Services Training Package
• include direct observation of tasks in real or simulated work conditions, with questioning to confirm the ability to consistently identify and correctly interpret the essential underpinning knowledge required for practical application
• reinforce the integration of employability skills with workplace tasks and job roles
• confirm that competency is verified and able to be transferred to other circumstances and environments.

Validity and sufficiency of evidence requires that:

• competency will need to be demonstrated over a period of time reflecting the scope of the role and the practical requirements of the workplace
• where the assessment is part of a structured learning experience the evidence collected must relate to a number of performances assessed at different points in time and separated by further learning and practice, with a decision on competency only taken at the point when the assessor has complete confidence in the person's demonstrated ability and applied knowledge
• all assessment that is part of a structured learning experience must include a combination of direct, indirect and supplementary evidence.

Assessment processes and techniques should as far as is practical take into account the language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate in relation to the competency being assessed.

Supplementary evidence of competency may be obtained from relevant authenticated documentation from third parties, such as existing supervisors, team leaders or specialist training staff.

RANGE STATEMENT 

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.

Construction job roles  include:

• bricklaying and blocklaying
• carpentry
• concreting
• demolition
• dogging
• formwork and falsework
• painting and decorating
• rigging
• roof tiling
• scaffolding
• solid plastering
• steelfixing
• wall and ceiling lining
• wall and floor tiling
• waterproofing.

Construction employment conditions  include coverage of:

• AWAs
• bulletins and newsletters
• enterprise agreements
• industrial awards
• industry and workplace codes of practice
• workplace agreements.

Organisational requirements  include:

• access and equity principles and practice
• anti-discrimination and related policy
• business and performance plans
• ethical standards
• goals and objectives
• legal and organisation policy, guidelines and requirements
• quality
• systems and processes.

Responsibilities and duties  include:

• codes of conduct
• job description and employment arrangements
• organisation's policy relevant to work role
• skills training and competencies
• supervision and accountability requirements, including OHS
• team structures.

Safe work methods and practices  include:

• access to site amenities, such as drinking water and toilets
• day to day observation of OHS policies and procedures
• emergency procedures and use of basic firefighting equipment
• general requirements for safe use of plant and equipment
• general requirements for use of personal protective equipment and clothing
• housekeeping to ensure a clean, tidy and safer work area
• no drugs and alcohol at work
• preventing bullying and harassment
• risk assessment
• smoking in designated areas
• storage and disposal of waste and debris according to established procedures and environmental protection requirements.

Australian government and state and territory OHS legislative requirements  include:

• Australian standards
• construction industry OHS standards and guidelines
• duty of care
• health and safety representatives, committees and supervisors
• licences, tickets or certificates of competency
• National Code of Practice for Induction Training for Construction Work
• national safety standards
• OHS and welfare Acts and regulations
• safety codes of practice, and JSA and safe work method statements.

Work group members  include:

• coach or mentor
• employee representative
• peers, work colleagues, team, enterprise and other members of the organisation
• supervisor or manager.

Personal protective equipment  includes:

• caps
• dust masks and respirators
• ear muffs and plugs
• gloves
• hard hats
• high visibility vests
• jackets
• overalls
• safety glasses/goggles
• steel capped boots.

Quality requirements  include relevant regulations, including:

• Australian standards
• internal company quality policy and standards
• manufacturer specifications, where specified
• workplace operations and procedures.

Information  includes:

• diagrams or sketches
• instructions issued by authorised organisational or external personnel
• manufacturer specifications and instructions
• material safety data sheets (MSDS)
• memos
• organisation work specifications and requirements
• plans and specifications
• regulatory and legislative requirements
• relevant Australian standards
• safe work procedures or equivalent
• signage
• verbal or written and graphical instructions
• work bulletins
• work schedules.

Teams :

• is a generic term that refers to the site work organisation
• may be known/titled locally as crews, gangs, shifts or other industrially and historically acceptable term.

Learning needs  and development processes include competency achievement/maintenance processes, which include:

• assessment processes
• formal vocational education and training
• on-the-job training and job rotation
• recognition of prior learning
• refresher training.

Environmental and resource efficiency issues  include:

• minimisation of environmental risks and maximisation of opportunities to improve environmental performance and to promote more efficient production and consumption of natural resources on the work site, for example by minimising waste, through participation in or use of a waste minimisation system
• using resources efficiently, including reducing material usage and supporting efficient energy and water use, such as:

• air testing pipes
• efficient fittings
• insulation
• site management to minimise stormwater pollution
• strategic use of materials to reduce off-cuts and wastage
• tool maintenance
• transportation
• using alternative practices, procedures and materials/products that reduce or eliminate resource consumption.

Appropriate techniques  for recording resource use include:

• examination and documentation of resources on work site
• examination and measurement of resources, materials and products from suppliers
• examination of relevant information and data on efficiency and resource reduction
• instructions and reports from other parties involved in the process of identifying and implementing improvements.

Environmental hazards  include:

• substances (e.g. resource, waste, by-product) that are dangerous to living things in the environment, such as humans, animals, plants and water, including storage, handling and disposal of the following substances:

• toxic
• corrosive
• flammable
• explosive

• may be infectious or have other dangerous characteristics.

Environmental requirements  are to cover workplace quality management and include:

• clean-up protection
• stormwater protection
• waste management.

Suggestions  for sustainable use of resources includes ideas that help to:

• ensure appropriate use of materials and make recommendations to others to use sustainable products and practices
• identify alternative sources of energy or energy conservation
• improve energy and water efficiency
• prevent and minimise risks and maximise opportunities, such as use of solar or grey water, and other alternative forms of energy/resources where appropriate
• reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by reducing waste, transportation and use of non-renewable resources, such as energy, water, fuel, and materials
• use alternative products/materials, procedures and installation techniques to support efficiency and sustainability
• use renewable, recyclable, reusable and recoverable resources (energy, water, materials/products and waste).

Compliance with environmental requirements  includes:

• meeting relevant acts, laws, by-laws and regulations or best practice to support compliance in environmental performance and sustainability at each level as required (such as Environmental Protection, Biodiversity Conservation Act, BCA), including:

• federal
• industry
• international
• local government
• organisation
• reporting breaches
• state and territory.

Designated personnel  to be contacted are determined by the enterprise and include:

• managers
• supervisors
• other senior personnel assigned to particular work site roles, such as safety officer.

Unit sector 

Construction

Co-requisite units 

Nil

Functional area