Unit of competency

Modification History

Application

This unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required to set up, operate, adjust and shut down a form, fill and seal process.

This unit applies to individuals who work under general supervision and exercise limited autonomy in a food processing packing environment. It typically applies to the worker responsible for applying basic operating principles to the operation and monitoring of a forming, filling and sealing process and associated equipment. This is a primary packaging process to package product into appropriate packaging. It can apply to both aseptic and non-aseptic form and fill processes.

All work must be carried out to comply with workplace procedures, in accordance with State/Territory work health and safety, and food safety regulations, legislation and standards that apply to the workplace.

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

Pre-requisite Unit

Nil

Unit Sector

Operational (OPR)

Elements and Performance Criteria

Foundation Skills

This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills that are essential for performance in this unit of competency but are not explicit in the performance criteria.

Unit Mapping Information

Links

Companion Volumes, including Implementation Guides, are available at VETNet: - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=78b15323-cd38-483e-aad7-1159b570a5c4

Assessment requirements

Modification History

Performance Evidence

An individual demonstrating competency in this unit must satisfy all of the elements and performance criteria of this unit.

There must be evidence that the individual has operated a form, fill and seal process on at least one occasion, including:

• accessing workplace information to identify processing requirements
• selecting, fitting and using PPE
• confirming supply of necessary packaging components/consumables and product
• conducting pre-start checks, including:

• inspecting equipment condition to identify any signs of wear
• selecting appropriate settings and/or related parameters
• cancelling isolation or lock-outs as required
• confirming that equipment is clean and correctly configured for packaging requirements
• loading packaging components/consumables
• positioning sensors and controls correctly
• ensuring any scheduled maintenance has been completed
• confirming that all safety guards are in place and operational

• starting, operating, monitoring and adjusting the forming, filling and sealing process equipment to achieve required outcomes, including monitoring control points and conducting inspections as required to confirm process remains within specification, including:

• formation of container/packaging
• flow rates
• product weights and volumes
• fill levels
• temperature, including product and sealing temperatures
• supply of packaging components/consumables
• packaging quality and seal integrity, including testing packaging integrity

• monitoring supply and flow of materials to and from the form, fill and seal process
• taking corrective action in response to out-of-specification results
• responding to and/or reporting equipment failure within level of responsibility
• locating emergency stop functions on equipment
• following isolation and lock-out/tag-out procedures as required to take forming, filling and sealing process and related equipment off-line in preparation for cleaning and/or maintenance within level of responsibility
• preparing forming, filling and sealing equipment for cleaning
• completing workplace records as required
• maintaining work area to meet workplace cleaning standards
• using process control systems according to enterprise procedures
• following relevant work health and safety procedures.

Knowledge Evidence

An individual must be able to demonstrate the knowledge required to perform the tasks outlined in the elements and performance criteria of this unit. This includes knowledge of:

• purpose and basic principles of forming, filling and sealing, including:

• the purpose and characteristics required of packaging materials used
• the methods used to form packaging, fill and seal product (where methods involve vacuum or map packaging, it includes an understanding of the effect of modified atmosphere on product shelf-life)

• product and packaging coding requirements and related legal requirements, including product weight
• basic operating principles of forming, filling and sealing equipment, including:

• main equipment components
• status and purpose of guards
• equipment operating capacities and applications
• the purpose and location of sensors and related feedback instrumentation
• services required for operation of form, fill and seal equipment used in the workplace

• the flow of processes supplying the forming, filling and sealing process and the effect of process output on downstream processes
• quality characteristics and requirements of forming, filling and sealing, including:

• quality requirements of product and packaging components/consumables
• requirements of packaging forming stage, and filling, including fill levels and weights
• requirements of seal formation and integrity, and integrity testing procedures, where required

• methods used to monitor the process, including inspecting, measuring and testing as required by the process
• inspection or test points (control points) in the process and the related procedures and recording requirements
• operating requirements and parameters and corrective action required where operation is outside specified operating parameters, including restart procedures following a crash or jam-up
• typical equipment faults and related causes, including signs and symptoms of faulty equipment and early warning signs of potential problems
• common causes of variation and corrective action required, including the effect of variation in both product characteristics and packaging components/consumables on forming, filling and sealing performance
• food safety hazards and risks associated with forming, filling and sealing, and related control measures
• work health and safety hazards and controls relevant to the form, fill and seal process
• requirements of different shutdowns as appropriate to the process and workplace production requirements, including emergency and routine shutdowns, and procedures to follow in the event of a power outage
• isolation, lock-out and tag-out procedures and responsibilities
• procedures and responsibility for reporting production and performance information
• environmental issues and controls relevant to the forming, filling and sealing process, including waste/rework collection and handling procedures related to the process
• basic operating principles of process control, including the relationship between control panels and systems and the physical equipment
• aseptic container preparation/forming, filling and sealing requirements
• cleaning and sanitation procedures for a form, fill and seal process.

Assessment Conditions

Assessment of skills must take place under the following conditions:

• physical conditions:

• a workplace or an environment that accurately represents workplace conditions

• resources, equipment and materials:

• personal protective clothing and equipment
• forming, filling and sealing process and related equipment and services
• materials and packaging components/consumables to be formed, filled and sealed
• product
• sampling schedules and test procedures and equipment as required
• documentation
• cleaning procedures, materials and equipment as required

• specifications:

• work procedures, including advice on safe work practices, food safety, quality and environmental requirements, stock flow systems, production/packaging schedules
• information on equipment capacity and operating parameters
• specifications, control points and operating parameters
• recording requirements and procedures.

Assessors of this unit must satisfy the requirements for assessors in applicable vocational education and training legislation, frameworks and/or standards.

Links

Companion Volumes, including Implementation Guides, are available at VETNet: - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=78b15323-cd38-483e-aad7-1159b570a5c4