Release 1.  This is the first release of this unit of competency in the PUA Public Safety Training Package.

This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required by occupants to identify and prevent the development of facility emergency situations or to minimise their consequences, and to report if emergency protection systems and/or equipment is compromised.

It applies to a broad range of emergencies and covers the work required before an emergency services and/or specialist response team arrives; it does not include the specific use of equipment to prevent facility emergency situations.

The unit has been developed to cover facilities as specified in Australian Standard 3745 and AS 4083. For this unit, as covered by AS 3745 and/or AS4083, occupants are people attending a facility on a permanent or temporary basis such as an employee, contractor, student or resident, but not a visitor or patient and a facility is a building, structure or workplace that is, or may be, occupied by people (occupants).

All aspects of the unit must be undertaken in accordance with legislative requirements, organisational policies and procedures and approved safe practices. It applies to occupants who are required to be ‘emergency aware’ in their facility.

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

Not applicable.

Facility Emergency Response

Public Safety

ELEMENTS 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

Elements describe the essential outcomes.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

1  

Identify, monitor and report situations that could lead to facility emergencies 

1.1 

Situations that could lead to facility emergencies are identified by the occupant and facility emergency response procedures are followed

1.2 

Immediate work area and/or public area is routinely checked for situations that could lead to emergencies

1.3 

High risk activities are monitored to ensure precautions and facility emergency response procedures are followed

2 

Identify, report and correct situations that could prevent facility emergencies from being safely handled 

2.1 

Relevant emergency protection systems and equipment are identified

2.2 

Situations that could lead to emergency protection systems and equipment being impaired are identified

2.3 

Immediate work area is routinely checked for situations that could lead to emergency protection systems and equipment being made inoperable and results of check are reported

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.

Range is restricted to essential operating conditions and any other variables essential to the work environment.

Non-essential conditions may be found in the Companion Volume Implementation Guide.

high risk activities must include three or more of the following relevant to the facility

• handling dangerous goods and hazardous materials including waste
• handling gases
• hot work
• manual handling
• manufacturing
• using, mixing and/or moving chemicals
• working around traffic
• working at heights, in confined spaces, in poorly ventilated spaces or around noise - subject to permit
• working with plant and machinery
• working with unstable equipment or equipment that has deteriorated

emergency protection systems and equipment must include three or more of the following relevant to the facility

• access, egress and paths of travel
• alarm initiation devices
• any specific dangerous good and/or hazardous chemical antidotes and treatment e.g. corrosives
• automatic fire, leak, spill or movement detectors
• escape equipment
• exit signs and emergency lighting
• facility emergency response procedures contained within the facility emergency plan
• fire or smoke detection,
• fire or smoke doors, fire walls
• first aid kits
• initial response firefighting equipment
• occupant warning and communications systems
• shower and eyewash
• special hazard identification systems
• spill or leak containment equipment
• suppression systems

situations that could lead to emergency protection systems and equipment being impaired must include three or more of the following relevant to the facility

• emergency equipment not being maintained
• emergency lighting and/or exit lighting being damaged, missing
• impairing exits and/or pathways to exits
• inability to access emergency equipment
• inappropriate or non-compliant storage and/or handling of dangerous goods
• interfering with alarm systems
• not replacing or replenishing used emergency equipment
• not reporting damage to emergency equipment or facilities
• propping open fire or smoke doors

This unit replaces and is equivalent to PUAWER001B Identify, prevent and report potential facility emergency situations.

Release 1.  This is the first release of this unit of competency in the PUA Public Safety Training Package.

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all the requirements of the elements, performance criteria and range of conditions on at least one occasion and includes

• communicating with team members and stakeholders
• identifying and reporting situations in a facility that reduce the effectiveness of emergency protection systems and equipment
• identifying emergency protection systems and equipment present in a facility
• identifying, monitoring and reporting situations that could lead to emergencies in a facility

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all the requirements of the elements, performance criteria and range of conditions and includes knowledge of

• basic types emergency protection systems and equipment
• principles of operation and limitations of emergency protection systems and equipment installed in a facility
• procedures for identifying, minimising, or preventing, and reporting situations within a facility that may lead to an emergency
• safe work practices applicable to a facility that help to prevent emergencies
• situations at a facility that reduce the effectiveness of emergency protection systems and equipment

As a minimum, assessors must satisfy applicable regulatory requirements, which include requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations current at the time of assessment.

As a minimum, assessment must satisfy applicable regulatory requirements, which include requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations current at the time of assessment.

Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, literacy and numeracy requirements of the work being performed and the needs of the candidate.

Assessment must occur in workplace operational situations. Where this is not appropriate, assessment must occur in industry approved simulated workplace operational situations that reflect workplace conditions.

Resources for assessment must include access to

• a range of relevant activities, exercises, case studies and/or simulations
• relevant and appropriate materials, equipment, tools and personal protective clothing and equipment currently used in industry
• applicable documentation including organisational procedures, facility emergency response procedures, industry standards, equipment specifications, regulations, codes of practice and operation manuals.