Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

Operations technicians undertaking offshore operations can sometimes require evacuation involving the use of water craft and survival at sea. Due to the isolation of offshore installations and facilities, offshore evacuation procedures involve significant differences from standard onshore evacuation procedures.

Application of the unit 

An essential part of this offshore evacuation process is the use of totally enclosed motorised personnel survival craft (TEMPSC) to facilitate the removal of personnel from an unsafe or threatened facility.

Installations and facilities can include:

• offshore rig/installation
• floating production platforms.

Some operations technicians will be allocated responsibility for the coordination and supervision of the evacuation process. These personnel would:

• coordinate and facilitate the assembly, boarding and launch of TEMPSC
• operate communications and navigation systems
• operate, manoeuvre and navigate TEMPSC to facilitate safe evacuation and recovery of personnel.

Generally the operations technician would be part of a team. However in an emergency they may be expected to be capable of performing all parts of this unit on an individual basis.

Prerequisite units 

MSAPMOHS220A 

Provide initial First Aid response 

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. Control muster

1.1. Convey information from the control centre concerning the nature and scope of the emergency

1.2. Confirm and verify personnel gathered at the muster point against current person-on-board lists

1.3. Confirm personnel and craft readiness status with the incident controller

1.4. Maintain control of the muster point in order to ensure that an orderly and safe evacuation is achieved.

2. Conduct organised deployment of TEMPSC.

2.1. Direct mustered personnel to board the craft to procedures

2.2. Check all personnel to ensure that they are safely secured within craft and all required safety equipment has been verified as operational prior to launch

2.3. Launch craft to procedure, ensuring the safety of all personnel is maintained during the launch

2.4. Manoeuvre the launched craft away from the facility/ installation to a pre-determined location, safe holding area or distance

2.5. Utilise all equipment to assist in the safe operation of the craft

2.6. Communicate with nominated agencies and services in order to convey the position and condition of craft and personnel and to assist in the recovery of the craft.

3. Provide leadership in TEMPSC deployment and welfare of personnel

3.1. Take command of the TEMPSC and oversight the welfare and safety of those on board

3.2. Determine disposition of personnel within the TEMPSC and see to the allocation of resources

3.3. Communicate with other survival craft and base station in order to facilitate self rescue and recovery of others in the affected area

3.4. Prepare craft and personnel for safe recovery by the appropriate methods.

4. Control hazards

4.1. Identify hazards arising from the abandonment

4.2. Assess the risks arising from those hazards

4.3. Implement measures to control those risks in line with procedures and duty of care.

5. Respond to problems

5.1. Identify possible problems

5.2. Determine problems needing action

5.3. Determine possible problem causes

5.4. Rectify problem using appropriate solution within area of responsibility

5.5. Follow through items initiated until final resolution has occurred

5.6. Report problems outside area of responsibility to designated person.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

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

Required skills 

Competence includes the ability to isolate the causes of problems to an item of equipment within the emergency evacuation system and to distinguish between causes of problems/alarm/fault indications such as:

• communications equipment problems
• location beacon malfunctions
• listing or other floatation difficulties
• mechanical failures.

Required knowledge 

The knowledge referred to in the Evidence Guide for this unit includes:

• principles involved in the launching, handling and recovery of survival craft
• factors needing to be taken into account during the operation of survival craft in all types of weather conditions
• operation of all equipment normally contained within a survival craft.
• emergency response plans and procedures
• evacuation procedures and alarms
• all items on a schematic of the facility or installation layout
• safety equipment and survival craft locations (TEMPSC)
• procedures for loss of command situations.

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment 

Assessment for this unit of competency will be in a simulated environment. The unit will be assessed in as holistic a manner as is practical and may be integrated with the assessment of other relevant units of competency. Assessment will occur over a range of situations which will include disruptions to normal and planned operation.

Simulation should be based on survival craft and launching systems relevant to the particular facility/installation and will include walk-throughs of the relevant competency components. Simulations may also include the use of case studies/scenarios, role plays and 3D virtual reality interactive systems.

This unit of competency requires an application of the knowledge contained in the use of survival craft and their integral equipment, to the level needed to maintain control and recognise and resolve problems. This can be assessed through questioning and the use of what-if scenarios both on the plant (during demonstration of normal operations and walk-throughs of abnormal operations) and off the plant.

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

Competence must be demonstrated in the ability to recognise and analyse potential situations requiring action and then in implementing appropriate corrective action. The emphasis should be on the ability to stay out of trouble rather than on recovery from a disaster.

Consistent performance should be demonstrated. In particular look to see that:

• application of emergency response plans and procedures, evacuation procedures and alarms is in accordance with procedures
• there is control and coordination of evacuation muster activities
• safe and timely initiation of facility evacuation activities occurs
• operation, including navigation and safe handling of emergency craft conforms to established emergency response.

These aspects may be best assessed using a range of scenarios/case studies/what-ifs as the stimulus with a walk through forming part of the response. These assessment activities should include a range of problems, including new, unusual and improbable situations which may have been generated from the past incident history of the plant, incidents on similar plants around the world, hazard analysis activities and similar sources.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Assessment will require access to an operating TEMPSC which must be available and equipped for deployment. A bank of scenarios/case studies/what-ifs will be required as will a bank of questions which will be used to probe the reasoning behind the observable actions.

Method of assessment 

In all facilities it may be appropriate to assess this unit concurrently with:

• PMAOHS215B Apply offshore facility abandonment and sea survival procedures and practices .

Guidance information for assessment 

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate and appropriate to the oracy, language and literacy capacity of the assessee and the work being performed.

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. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs if the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.

Codes of practice / standards 

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

Context 

This unit of competency includes all such items of equipment and unit operations which form part of the evacuation procedure including:

totally enclosed motorised personnel survival craft (TEMPSCs)

launch and retrieval systems.

Typical problems for your installation may include:

• a range of weather conditions
• communication systems failures
• malfunctioning equipment
• unaccounted for personnel
• launching difficulties.

Health , safety and environment  (HSE )

All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environment requirements, which may be imposed through State or Federal legislation, and these must not be compromised at any time. Where there is an apparent conflict between Performance Criteria and HSE requirements, the HSE requirements take precedence.

Unit sector 

Support/generic

Competency field 

Co-requisite units