Unit of competency

Modification History

Application

This unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required to perform an aerial rescue where an injured or unconscious person is safely brought to the ground from a tree or elevated work platform (EWP).

The unit applies to Arborists preparing and planning for the coordination and execution of rescue operations and the implementation of safety and first aid requirements.

Aerial rescue is likely to be undertaken in emergency situations with little or no supervision. It involves working closely with other members of a team to ensure the safety of all personnel and the public during a rescue operation. This unit applies to individuals who have a range of skills to select and apply a specialised range of methods, tools, materials and information to complete routine activities and provide and transmit solutions to predictable and sometimes unpredictable problems.

Licensing, legislative, regulatory, or certification requirements apply to this unit in some states and territories at the time of publication, and may differ according to jurisdiction. Specific determination should be sought through the relevant State or Territory. Works involving this unit of competency may be subject to local tree protection and preservation laws, and the relevant content of applicable Australian Standards.

Pre-requisite Unit

The prerequisite units of competency for this unit are:

• HLTAID003 Provide first aid
• AHCARB310 Perform aerial rigging.

Note the following chain of prerequisites that also applies to this unit of competency.

Unit Sector

Arboriculture (ARB)

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.

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

Unit Mapping Information

Links

Companion Volumes, including Implementation Guides, are available at VETNet: - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=c6399549-9c62-4a5e-bf1a-524b2322cf72

Assessment requirements

Modification History

Performance Evidence

The candidate must be observed planning and implementing a rescue operation and undertaking an aerial rescue. The candidate must be assessed on their ability to integrate and apply the performance requirements of this unit in a workplace setting. Performance must be demonstrated consistently over time and in a suitable range of contexts.

The candidate must provide evidence for and demonstrate:

• undertaking a site-specific risk assessment by identifying work health and safety hazards and assessing risk
• confirming emergency communication system is working
• confirming emergency services contact numbers are documented
• selecting, preparing and checking first aid equipment and rescue kit
• positioning rescue and first aid equipment for easy access
• clarifying own role in rescue situations
• confirming first aid, rescue personnel, equipment and rescue plan procedures with work team prior to undertaking work
• selecting and using personal protective equipment
• communicating with work team during operations using voice, hand and whistle signals
• attempting communication with casualty
• activating emergency plan and requesting assistance from work team and public in accordance with rescue plan
• identifying hazards associated with rescue, assessing risks and implementing suitable controls
• determining presence of live electrical wires or apparatus that will interfere with ability to access casualty and take appropriate action
• applying ‘safe approach distance’ measures to live electrical situations
• using appropriate access equipment to carry out rescue in accordance with rescue plan
• maintaining communication with casualty
• securing rescuer safely
• securing casualty
• assessing injuries to determine whether or not to move casualty based on first aid procedures and risk assessment
• applying first aid that can be performed above ground, as required
• supporting, but do not move, a casualty with possible neck or spinal injuries and awaiting expert medical treatment
• maintaining communications with ground crew
• informing casualty of lowering procedure
• preparing casualty for descent in accordance with first aid, rescue plan and risk assessments
• descending tree safely in a controlled manner
• lowering casualty safely to ground with support of ground crew
• applying first aid on ground as needed
• obtaining emergency assistance as required
• isolating equipment involved in accident for potential investigation and prevent reuse until checked
• removing all equipment in a controlled manner
• cleaning and storing equipment
• cleaning and storing personal protective equipment
• maintaining records of aerial rescue in appropriate format
• using industry standard terminology to describe aerial rescues and the work environment.

Knowledge Evidence

The candidate must demonstrate knowledge of:

• emergency procedures to assist in ground-based rescues of EWP and climbing workers
• hazard identification methods
• risk assessment systems
• Safe Approach Distances
• recognition of live electrical wires or apparatus
• electrical wires and apparatus safety
• first aid procedures
• contents of a first aid kit
• use of a first aid kit
• emergency services communication systems
• emergency services contact numbers
• emergency plans
• appropriate placement of rescue equipment
• use of rescue kits
• rescue personnel, equipment and rescue plan procedures
• how to control risk to rescuer, victim and others
• types of reporting required after rescue
• personal protective equipment
• how to deal with an emergency
• lowering mechanisms for an aerial rescue
• work health and safety records with regards to incident reporting.

Assessment Conditions

Assessment must be demonstrated consistently over time in a suitable range of contexts and have a productivity-based outcome. No single assessment event or report is sufficient to achieve competency in this unit.

Assessment may be conducted in a simulated or real work environment, however determination of competency requires the application of work practices under work conditions.

The mandatory equipment and materials used to gather evidence for assessment include:

• equipment:

• rescue kit
• rescue dummy
• emergency communication system
• rigging equipment
• single rope technique (SRT) climbing kit
• static and dynamic rope kit
• harnesses
• lowering and friction devices
• high decibel whistle
• personal protective equipment (PPE)
• first aid and emergency kit
• traffic management kit
• signage – work zone
• trees

• materials:

• rescue form - aerial
• hazard identification and risk control form
• equipment and PPE check form
• emergency preparation form
• knot identification form
• work communications form
• work site operations form.

Assessors must satisfy current standards for RTOs in the assessment of arboriculture units of competency.

Assessment must be conducted only by persons who have:

• arboriculture vocational competencies at least to the level being assessed
• current arboriculture industry skills directly relevant to the unit of competency being assessed.

Links

Companion Volumes, including Implementation Guides, are available at VETNet: - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=c6399549-9c62-4a5e-bf1a-524b2322cf72