Unit of competency details

Unit Descriptor 

This unit covers the competency required to maintain and pack survival inflatable life rafts or escape slides .

This Unit of Competency does not include survival inflatable buoyancy vests.

Maintaining survival inflatable life rafts or escape slides includes inspecting, testing, isolating faults, replacing and cleaning prior to packing. This Unit of Competency does not include repairing, which is completed by a higher maintenance authority.

This Unit of Competency applies to a person packing a survival inflatable device and requires the survival inflatable device to be inspected by a supervisor (who is competent in this Unit of Competency).

Application of the Unit 

The application of this unit in the workplace - the environments, complexities and situations involved - will be written during Phase II of the Review of the PUA00 Public Safety Training Package.

This text will be useful for the purposes of job descriptions, recruitment advice or job analysis; where possible, it will not be too job specific to allow other industries to import it into other Training Packages, where feasible.

Prerequisite Unit /s 

Nil

Employability Skills 

This unit contains employability skills.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a Unit of Competency.

Performance Criteria describe the required performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the Required Skills and Knowledge and/or the Range Statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the Evidence Guide.

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Maintain survival inflatable life rafts or escape slides 

1.1 Survival inflatable life raft or escape slide and associated ancillary equipment  are inspected for serviceability in accordance with standard procedures 

1.2 Identified faults  beyond own authority to rectify are reported to supervisor and faulty survival inflatable life raft, escape slide or ancillary equipment is quarantined

1.3 Unserviceable parts  of the survival inflatable life raft, escape slide or ancillary equipment are replaced in accordance with standard procedures

1.4 Survival inflatable life raft or escape slide is tested  for serviceability in accordance with standard procedures and manufacturers' specifications

1.5 Survival inflatable life raft or escape slide is cleaned in accordance with standard procedures

1.6 Survival inflatable life raft or escape slide is presented for inspection by supervisor and work is not progressed until supervisor has completed inspections in accordance with standard procedures

1.7 Relevant documentation is completed in accordance with standard procedures

2. Pack survival inflatable life rafts or escape slides 

2.1 Survival inflatable life raft or escape slide is packed for use in accordance with standard procedures

2.2 Ancillary equipment is packed for use in accordance with standard procedures

2.3 Packed survival inflatable life raft or escape slide is presented for inspection by supervisor and work is not progressed until the supervisor has completed inspections in accordance with standard procedures

2.4 Relevant documentation is completed in accordance with standard procedures

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

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

Required Skills 

• ability to relate to people from a range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and physical and mental abilities
• deliver briefings to personnel in relation to operating survival inflatable life rafts and escape slides
• handle, store and organise transport of equipment
• inflate/deflate survival inflatable devices for maintenance
• information technology skills to enable access and input to documentation
• liaise with outside agencies relating to maintenance activities
• literacy skills for comprehending and interpreting documentation including:
• aircraft documentation
• maintenance documentation
• survival and distress pyrotechnic documentation
• maintenance and servicing schedules
• flying schedules
• technical publications
• technical drawings
• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
• operate and maintain personal protective equipment
• problem solving skills for a limited range of differing procedural circumstances
• raise and complete maintenance documentation
• solder battery terminals on emergency locator transmitters
• tie various types of knots including:
• reef knot
• bowline
• thumb knot
• half hitch
• use hand sewing techniques
• use relevant hand and power tools
• use testing and measuring equipment in accordance with approved methods
• work with others and in a team by recognising dependencies and using cooperative approaches to optimise workflow and productivity

Required Knowledge 

• approved cleaning methods for aviation life support equipment
• components of a survival inflation device and their function
• critical nature of maintaining and packing survival inflation devices i.e. risk of death
• electrical principles
• environmental conditions that may affect survival inflation devices
• handling, storage and transit procedures relating to survival inflation devices
• legal responsibilities
• methods of operations for a survival inflation device
• modification requirements for survival inflatable life rafts and escape slides
• operation of emergency locator beacons and emergency locator transmitters
• packing tools and measuring equipment required to pack survival inflation devices
• principles of operation for inflation mechanisms
• priorities of survival and how they relate to survival inflatable life rafts and associated ancillary equipment
• procedures in relation to organisation and aviation industry different aviation trades and how they relate to each other
• quality systems and standards
• reading and interpreting specifications
• relevant legislation and procedures in relation to aviation industry
• relevant OH&S regulations/requirements, precautions, equipment, material and personal safety requirements
• relevant safety precautions including storage and handling of compressed gas cylinders and survival and distress pyrotechnics
• repair limitations for survival inflatable life rafts and escape slides
• requirements for a survival inflation device servicing facility
• search and rescue procedures
• tool control procedures
• types of corrosion and contamination that may affect survival inflation devices
• ultraviolet degradation
• use of aviation industry documentation
• use of maintenance documentation
• use of survival inflatable life rafts and escape slides and associated ancillary equipment

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

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

Assessment must confirm the ability to:

• test cylinder weight is within tolerances
• complete a minimum of three inflation tests with no corrective action required by supervisor
• correctly pack a minimum of three survival inflatable life rafts or escape slides with no corrective action required by supervisor
• recognise limit of own authority
• recognise a range of faults and their serviceability limits.

The range of faults must include:

• incorrect manufacture
• verifying expiry date of inflatable life raft or escape slide and ancillary equipment.

Consistency in performance 

Competency should be demonstrated over time with a range of packing and maintenance activities for inflatable survival devices.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Context of assessment 

Competency should be assessed in the workplace or in a simulated workplace environment.

Specific resources for assessment 

Access to an environmentally controlled facility, survival inflatable life raft or escape slide, tools and equipment for packing and maintaining survival inflatable life rafts or escape slides.

Guidance information for assessment 

Information that will assist or guide assessment will be written during Phase II of the Review of the PUA00 Public Safety Training Package.

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 in the Performance Criteria is detailed below.

Survival inflatable life rafts or escape slides may include 

10U Mk8

F2B

LRU16

30 MANSURVKIT

19D22454-2 Escape Slide

19D22387-2 Escape Slide

19D22454-5 Escape Slide

19D22454-6 Escape Slide

Ancillary equipment may include 

Electronic locating devices

Lighting devices

Pyrotechnics

Rations

Survival/location aids

Water

Standard procedures may include 

Australian Standards

Equipment manufacturers' specifications and procedures

Industry practices

Maintenance schedules

Occupational health and safety requirements

Organisational instructions/journals

Regulatory requirements

Faults may include 

Abrasion

Broken stitching

Contamination

Corrosion (e.g. fittings)

Damaged hardware

Delamination/porosity

Expired components or equipment

Faulty valves

Frayed lines

Holes

Incorrect manufacture

Lifting tapes

Ultraviolet degradation

Parts may include 

Cylinders

Operating head

Valves

Valise

Testing may include 

Checking ancillary equipment (e.g. electronic locating devices, survival/location aids)

Cylinder weight tolerance

Inflation tests

Light and battery test

Co-requisite Unit /s 

Nil