Unit of competency

Modification History

Application

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to plan and oversee the effective operation of enterprise cold chain and refrigeration systems, ensuring product quality and food safety. It also describes ways to manage and reduce the costs of cold chain operations. Cold chain systems and operations are critical to the quality and food safety of enterprise products. Managing them efficiently will minimise production costs and facilitate regulatory compliance.

This unit is applicable to production managers, plant engineers, and Quality Assurance (QA), maintenance and chiller managers or coordinators.

At this level, individuals exercise considerable responsibility and accountability within enterprise structures and are required to make primary contributions to the values, goals and operations of the enterprise. They will typically have responsibility for establishing and reviewing systems for their site or department. They may work with the assistance of external experts to develop plans and strategies.

This unit must be delivered using Australian meat industry standards and regulations.

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

Pre-requisite Unit

Nil

Unit Sector

Elements and Performance Criteria

Foundation Skills

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

Unit Mapping Information

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=5e2e56b7-698f-4822-84bb-25adbb8443a7

Assessment requirements

Modification History

Performance Evidence

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

There must be evidence that the individual has, on at least one occasion:

• assessed requirements for enterprise refrigeration or cold chain systems in terms of enterprise goals, directions and forecasts, detailed product knowledge and regulatory requirements
• analysed and presented complex concepts, technical information, mathematical information and other data in simple or complex formats
• completed hypothetical technical and financial modelling, calculations, interpretation or analysis
• developed and maintained the operating system
• prepared manuals and procedures for operating refrigeration systems, chillers and freezers according to hygiene, safety, quality and customer requirements, and determined corrective actions for systems variations and non-conformances
• identified key personnel for the resolution and communication of systems problems and failures
• maintained currency of knowledge through independent research or professional development
• maintained the quality of products in the cold chain by monitoring chillers or freezers and interpreting refrigeration data to maintain appropriate temperature or humidity for product types and quantities
• managed maintenance of enterprise refrigeration systems, including the negotiation and preparation of maintenance schedules; monitoring repairs; conformance with regulatory and quality requirements; and replacement requirements
• managed refrigeration costs by monitoring the costs of refrigeration, including internal or external service models, maintenance costs, lost time costs, product losses and energy costs
• monitored and reported system performance, including setting performance standards and measures for refrigeration system that are consistent with enterprise goals and products; analysing performance information; and making recommendations for systems improvement to include in enterprise forward planning
• operated refrigeration or cold chain systems efficiently, including identifying and implementing strategies for reducing heat load in enterprise chiller or freezer; minimising energy costs; maximising availability and minimising down time; maintaining temperatures according to quality and food safety requirements
• prepared safety procedures for chillers or refrigeration systems, including emergency plans and procedures for incidents and accidents associated with refrigerants (leaks and spills); and procedures for the safe and efficient operation of equipment, including forklifts and lights, in chillers and freezers
• utilised information and communications technology, including statistical and modelling software for research, data collection and analysis, and reporting.

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:

• refrigeration concepts and terms, including:

• ambient temperature
• Biot number: ratio of conductive (internal) resistance to heat transfer to the convective (external) resistance
• half cooling time
• surface heat transfer
• thermal properties of meat, including conductivity

• strategies for reducing heat loads, including:

• air curtains
• automatic door closers
• improved insulation to prevent heat filtration through wall
• no lights, people, machinery inside
• plastic strips
• removal of heat load caused by fans

• impact of high and low humidity on eating quality, production and storage of meat and meat products
• impact of moisture transfer during chilling and freezing on quality, production and storage of meat and meat products
• impact of packaging on chilling and freezing rates of meat and meat product
• concept of heat load and the implications for product quality and energy requirements for refrigeration system
• methods of chilling and freezing meat and meat products, including:

• air (including natural convection, forced convection and spray chilling)
• air freezing
• contact freezing
• cryogenic (including gaseous, sold and liquid – liquid nitrogen and solid carbon dioxide)
• cryogenic freezing
• direct contact (including plate freezing and conduction)
• direct freezing systems
• liquid immersion (including chilled water or glycol solution)

• the impact of chilling, chilling rates, freezing and freezing rates on quality, production and storage of meat and meat products
• qualities of humidity, including changes in evaporation, pH levels, saturation humidity, saturation vapour pressure.

Assessment Conditions

Assessment of the skills in this unit of competency must take place under the following conditions:

• physical conditions:

• skills must be demonstrated in a meat industry workplace or an environment that accurately represents workplace conditions

• resources, equipment and materials

• access to appropriate technology

• specifications:

• access to workplace documents such as policies, procedures, processes, forms
• access to specific legislation/codes of practice relevant to enterprise operations.

Methods of assessment must include:

• a third-party referee report of sustained performance at appropriate level of authority and responsibility
• assignment focusing on understanding and application of principles and theory to workplace operations
• workplace projects with focus on company environment and conditions.

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

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=5e2e56b7-698f-4822-84bb-25adbb8443a7