Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit describes the outcomes required to work effectively in the forest and forest products industry. It requires the ability to identify and follow legal and procedural requirements, complete daily work activities, and identify opportunities for professional development. These work functions would be carried out under routine supervision within organisational guidelines

General workplace legislative and regulatory requirements apply to this unit; however there are no specific licensing or certification requirements at the time of publication

This unit replaces FPICOR2201A Work effectively in the forest and forest products industry

Application of the unit 

The unit involves working effectively in the forest and forest products industry in operations of all sizes in a variety of work settings including a forest environment, saw mill, wood chip mill, veneer mill, board/plywood mill, timber treatment plant, downstream processing of timber, forest products factory, forest products sales and service, horticultural, domestic, local council and emergency services environment

The skills and knowledge required for competent workplace performance are to be used within the scope of the person's job and authority

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. Identify and follow legal and procedural requirements

1.1. Applicable Occupational Health and Safety  (OHS), environmental , legislative  and organisational requirements  relevant to working effectively in the forest and forest products industry are identified and followed

1.2. Key legal and procedural principles relating to work order  are checked with appropriate personnel  in line with organisational requirements

1.3. Legal and procedural requirements are clarified with appropriate personnel as required to ensure consistency of interpretation and application

1.4. Procedures are followed to ensure applicable legislative and procedural requirements are ethically  implemented and to required standards

2. Prioritise and complete daily work activities

2.1. Own role and responsibilities are checked with appropriate personnel in line with organisational requirements

2.2. Work tasks are identified, prioritised and completed within designated timeframes in line with work order

2.3. Factors  affecting the achievement of work tasks are promptly reviewed and reported to appropriate personnel

2.4. Equipment  is selected appropriate to work task requirements and is used in line with manufacturer recommendations

2.5. Work is consistent with organisational and legislative requirements related to cultural diversity, access and equity, and equal employment opportunity

3. Identify and access future learning opportunities

3.1. Feedback  on performance is actively sought from appropriate personnel to confirm quality of performance and identify areas for improvement

3.2. Opportunities for professional development  are established in consultation with appropriate personnel in line with organisational procedures

3.3. Appropriate support  is sought to assist and improve own performance to achieve personal and organisational goals and objectives 

3.4. Information regarding learning and competency development is recorded and reported  in line with organisational requirements

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

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

Required skills 

• Technical skills sufficient to use and maintain relevant equipment
• Communication skills and interpersonal techniques sufficient to interact appropriately with colleagues and others in the workplace
• Literacy skills sufficient to accurately locate, record and report workplace information
• Numeracy skills sufficient to estimate, measure and calculate time required to complete a task
• Problem solving skills sufficient to complete work tasks within designated timeframes; establish opportunities for personal professional development; review and accurately identify work requirements

Required knowledge 

• Applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation, regulations, standards, codes of practice and established safe practices relevant to the full range of processes for working effectively in the forest and forest products industry
• Environmental protection requirements, including the safe disposal of waste material
• Organisational and site standards, requirements, policies and procedures relevant to working effectively in the forest and forest products industry
• Workplace communication channels, protocols and procedures
• Organisational structure and reporting channels
• Workplace safety and emergency procedures
• Role of forests, forestry and forest products in carbon capture and storage
• Concept of sustainable forest management
• Life cycle of forests and forest products
• Terms and conditions of employment
• Established communication channels and protocols
• Problem identification and resolution strategies and common fault finding techniques
• Types of tools and equipment and procedures for their safe use and maintenance
• Appropriate mathematical procedures for estimating and measuring, including calculating time to complete tasks
• Procedures for recording and reporting workplace information

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment 

A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence that they can work safely and efficiently in the forest and forest products industry

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

The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all of the requirements of the elements of this unit and include demonstration of:

• following applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislative and regulatory requirements and codes of practice relevant to working effectively in the forest and forest products industry
• following organisational policies and procedures relevant to working effectively in the forest and forest products industry
• the safe use of relevant equipment to complete work tasks within designated timeframes
• participation in processes to improve professional development

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

• Competency is to be assessed in the workplace or realistically simulated workplace
• Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints
• Assessment of required knowledge, other than confirmatory questions, will usually be conducted in an off-site context
• Assessment is to follow relevant regulatory or Australian Standards requirements
• The following resources should be made available:

• workplace location or simulated workplace
• materials and equipment relevant to undertaking work applicable to this unit
• specifications and work instructions

Method of assessment 

• Assessment must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the FPI11 Training Package
• Assessment methods must confirm consistency and accuracy of performance (over time and in a range of workplace relevant contexts) together with application of required knowledge
• Assessment must be by direct observation of tasks, with questioning on required knowledge and it must also reinforce the integration of employability skills
• Assessment methods must confirm the ability to access and correctly interpret and apply the required knowledge
• Assessment may be applied under project-related conditions (real or simulated) and require evidence of process
• Assessment must confirm a reasonable inference that competency is able not only to be satisfied under the particular circumstance, but is able to be transferred to other circumstances
• Assessment may be in conjunction with assessment of other units of competency
• The assessment environment should not disadvantage the candidate
• Assessment practices should take into account any relevant language or cultural issues related to Aboriginality, gender or language backgrounds other than English
• Where the participant has a disability, reasonable adjustment may be applied during assessment
• Language and literacy demands of the assessment task should not be higher than those of the work role

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. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

OHS requirements :

are to be in line with applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation and regulations, and organisational safety policies and procedures, and may include:

• personal protective equipment and clothing
• safety equipment
• first aid equipment
• fire fighting equipment
• hazard and risk control
• fatigue management
• elimination of hazardous materials and substances
• safe forest practices including required actions relating to forest fire
• manual handling including shifting, lifting and carrying
• machine guarding

Environmental requirements may include :

• legislation
• organisational policies and procedures
• workplace practices

Legislative requirements :

are to be in line with applicable Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation, regulations, certification requirements and codes of practice and may include:

• award and enterprise agreements
• industrial relations
• Australian Standards
• confidentiality and privacy
• OHS
• the environment
• equal opportunity
• anti-discrimination
• relevant industry codes of practice
• duty of care
• heritage and traditional land owner issues

Organisational requirements  may include:

• legal
• organisational and site guidelines
• policies and procedures relating to own role and responsibility
• quality assurance
• procedural manuals
• quality and continuous improvement processes and standards
• OHS, emergency and evacuation procedures
• ethical standards
• recording and reporting requirements
• equipment use and maintenance and storage requirements
• environmental management requirements (waste disposal, recycling and re-use guidelines)

Work order  is to include:

• instructions from supervisors or management
• specific client requirements
• objectives and timeframes
• work tasks and procedures
• resource and equipment requirements
• reporting and documentation requirements
• personal protective clothing and equipment requirements

and may include:

• instructions for the environmental monitoring of work and procedures
• environmental care requirements relevant to the work

Appropriate personnel  may include:

• supervisors
• suppliers
• clients
• colleagues
• managers

Ethically implementing procedures 

is to ensure work practices:

• maximise resource use
• minimise waste, maximise recycling and reduce landfill
• use energy and materials efficiently

Factors  may include:

• own competency level
• limits defined through common law
• contract law or statutes which apply to the nature of the work being performed
• limits described in job specifications and organisational policy and procedures
• competing work demands
• technology and equipment breakdowns
• unforeseen incidents
• workplace hazards
• risks and controls
• impact of work practices on the environment
• non-availability of resources and materials and budget constraints

Equipment  is to include:

• equipment necessary to complete work tasks

and may include:

• telephones or communications equipment
• tools
• machinery
• vehicles
• navigational aids
• instruments
• computers and computer software
• printers
• facsimile machines and photocopiers

and is to include:

• using this equipment in an environmentally responsible way

Feedback  may include:

• formal or informal performance appraisals
• comments from supervisors
• colleagues or clients
• personal
• reflective behaviour strategies and workplace assessment
• reference to industry and/or organisational areas of interest such as environmental sustainability

Opportunities for professional development  may include:

• coaching
• mentoring or supervision
• formal or informal learning programs
• induction programs
• internal or external training provision
• work experience or exchange of opportunities
• personal study
• career planning or development
• performance appraisals
• workplace skills assessment
• recognition of prior learning assessment and recognition of current competencies assessment
• accessing new approaches/developments (such as social networking sites) to increase awareness of current areas of community concern and industry interest

Appropriate support  may include:

• mentors
• coaches
• supervisors
• colleagues

Organisational goals and objectives  may include:

• reporting deadlines
• team participation
• team and individual learning goals
• continuous improvement strategies and OHS requirements

Records and reports  may be:

• manual
• using a computer-based system or another appropriate organisational communication system

Work practices in relation to methods /techniques /tools /equipment may include :

• preventing and minimising risks
• improving resource/energy efficiency
• conserving energy
• reducing carbon emissions
• reducing use of non-renewable resources
• re-using and recycling
• minimising and reducing waste
• reducing material consumption
• eliminating or reducing the use of hazardous and toxic materials
• reducing chemical use

Competency field 

Core