Unit of competency details

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DEF12V2

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DEF12V1

Primary release.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a Unit of Competency.

Performance Criteria describe the required performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised  text is used, further information is detailed in the Required Skills and Knowledge and/or the Range Statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the Evidence Guide.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1. Conduct an environmental health appreciation 

1.1 Situation  in which environmental health support is to be provided is determined, to appreciate the scope and context of support required.

1.2 Health intelligence sources  are accessed and reviewed to inform the environmental health appreciation.

1.3 Health threat assessment is conducted to identify the key health threats  that exist and which require attention during environmental health planning.

1.4 Environmental health tasks  to address each determined health threat are identified to form the basis for course of action identification.

1.5 Courses of action are determined that incorporate the identified tasks and are suited to the scope and context of support required.

1.6 Courses of action are compared using responsiveness to potential obstacles and key health threats as a basis for comparison.

1.7 Health appreciation findings are formulated into a brief and are presented to relevant personnel  for critique and guidance on the course of action to be adopted for development.

2. Develop environmental health plan 

2.1 Environmental health teams are identified for specific tasking within the plan.

2.2 Environmental health assets  are allocated within the plan along with the need to re-allocate environmental health assets and the need to obtain additional assistance outside of integral assets to support the plan.

2.3 Environmental health tasking is prioritised and sequenced within the plan to minimise the health threat to the organisation and to enable sustained environmental health support.

2.4 Principles of health support  are applied to the plan to ensure the plan complements the nature and circumstances of the activity being supported.

2.5 Plan is developed in detail to minimise oversight and to ensure it can survive changing circumstances and be adaptable to situations presented.

2.6 Plan is documented and presented to relevant personnel for approval.

2.7 Points of adjustment advised by relevant personnel are integrated into plan to ensure plan complements the higher operational objectives.

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

Required Skills 

• accurately interpret information from a range of sources so it may be drawn together to form balanced judgements and opinions to aid health support planning
• communicate complex issues and ideas in a logical and persuasive manner
• facilitate input from others to develop well considered and robust health support plans
• form judgements about balancing health support with operational imperatives
• make decisions that maximise the effective implementation of health support plans
• manage basic projects
• manage time with competing interests
• negotiate complex issues and ideas to arrive at a common understanding
• prepare complex verbal or written health assessments for communication to others that can be readily understood
• research information to aid health support assessment
• use problem solving skills

Required Knowledge 

• Geneva conventions
• health support logistics
• health support planning process
• health support resources capabilities
• health threat analysis
• injury risk assessment and management
• Laws of Armed Conflict
• organisation standing and routine orders
• organisational policies and procedures pertinent to own capability
• organisational structure, and lines of authority and communication within the organisation
• principle of health support
• structure and function of the ADF Health Services
• team leadership management principles
• theory of health support
• vectors of disease

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

Assessment must confirm the ability to:

• accurately determine the health threats to an organisation
• tailor the allocation of environmental health assets to address the key health threats and to complement the organisation being supported
• demonstrate redundancy in the plan and to modify the plan to adapt to changing circumstances

Consistency in performance 

Competency should be demonstrated over a minimum of two assessment scenarios.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Context of assessment 

Competency should be assessed in an actual workplace situation or in a simulated situation or scenario.

Specific resources for assessment 

Access is required to:

• actual situation or scenario requiring environmental health planning, with all supporting information
• equipment required to perform environmental health planning
• well developed health intelligence

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.

Situation  may include:

• enemy situation:

• communicable disease in enemy forces
• enemy public health capabilities
• enemy sanitation levels
• immunisation status
• level of field sanitation training
• nuclear, biological and chemical capabilities

• friendly situation:

• operational situation
• potable water quality/quantity
• preventive medicine resources equipment
• status of preventive medicine – individual and unit supplies
• types of rations used
• unit preventive medicine readiness

• characteristics of dependent organisation:

• acclimatisation
• clothing and equipment
• fatigue/resistance to disease
• immunisation status
• numbers
• organisation structure
• presence of disease
• status of nutrition

• characteristics of operating area:

• climate and weather
• flora and fauna
• local population
• terrain

Health intelligence sources  may include:

• country briefings
• doctrine
• health intelligence reports and databases
• health research
• manuals and textbooks
• organisation intranet sites
• organisational policy and procedure
• world wide web

Health threats  may include:

• environment health threats:

• animal
• disease
• terrain
• vegetation
• weather

• occupational health threats:

• industrial injury
• road traffic accident

• operational health threats:

• chemical/biological injury
• combat injury
• psychiatric injury

Environmental health tasks  may include:

• epidemiology
• disease vector control
• field sanitation
• food sanitation
• occupational hygiene
• waste management
• water purification

Relevant personnel  may include:

• activity commander
• environmental health officer
• senior health officer
• senior planning officer
• team leader

Environmental health assets  may include:

• environmental health team
• environmental health platoon
• health assessment teams
• vector control team

Principles of health support  may include:

• to provide immediate first aid to an injured person
• to facilitate the provision of resuscitation by a medical officer within an hour of being injured
• to facilitate the provision of initial wound surgery within three hours of being injured
• to prevent injury and illness
• to ensure conformity of the health plan with higher operational plans
• to enable control of health resources by technically qualified personnel best placed to employ them
• to ensure continuity of health care between levels of treatment and between different agencies involved in treatment
• to maintain flexibility to adapt the health plan to the changing circumstances of adf operations
• to ensure that health support maintains mobility with the activity of the group being supported
• to ensure that health support maintains its proximity to the activity being supported