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 to select, don, test and safely operate appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment at an incident involving dangerous goods and hazardous chemicals as well as safely combatting incidents involving hazardous materials.

A hazardous material incident is a generic term used to refer to any incident involving any hazardous materials based on physio-chemical, chemical, biological or radiological properties that pose an unreasonable risk to life, property or the environment. This includes dangerous goods, goods too dangerous to be transported and hazardous chemicals.

Incident Controllers will determine the appropriate level of personal protection clothing and equipment required at a hazardous materials incident, based on information collected at the site and advice received from electronic databases and specialist sources.

The unit applies to personnel who through their work are required to don, test and operate designated personal protective clothing and equipment at a hazardous materials incident.

The fire sector is those sections of government departments, statutory authorities or organisations that have responsibility under jurisdictional arrangements for the delivery of firefighting and fire management services.

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

It is essential that the prerequisite units listed below are obtained prior to the issuance of this unit to individuals within the fire sector or the units contributing to the attainment of a fire qualification.

PUAFIR207 Operate breathing apparatus open circuit

Fire

Fire

ELEMENTS 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

Elements describe the essential outcomes.

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

1  

Select, don and test personal protective clothing and equipment 

1.1 

Appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment are identified using relevant sources and is selected and checked based on the hazard, in accordance with organisational procedures

1.2 

Personal protective clothing and equipment is donned and tested, in accordance with organisational procedures and safe work practices

1.3 

Personal protective clothing and equipment is checked, donned and tested prior to entry into fire or hazardous atmospheres to ensure it is operational and meets organisational Work, Health and Safety (WHS)/Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) procedures

2 

Work in area of operation 

2.1 

Personal protective clothing and equipment is worn and/or operated to minimise risk of injury to wearer and others from environmental health hazards, in accordance with organisational procedures

2.2 

Activities undertaken in the area of operations are in accordance with organisational procedures

3 

Complete operations 

3.1 

Decontamination procedures are implemented on leaving the area, in accordance with organisational procedures

3.2 

Personal protective clothing and equipment are removed without damage, in accordance with organisational procedures

3.3 

Personal protective clothing and equipment are cleaned, maintained or serviced and stowed, in accordance with organisational procedures

3.4 

Documentation is completed, in accordance with organisational procedures

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.

personal protective equipment must include

• breathing apparatus

personal protective clothing must include two or more of the following

• gas tight suits
• splash suits
• thermal protective clothing
• turnout uniform and gloves

systems for hazards associated with chemicals and dangerous goods are classified must include

• ADR hazard identification system
• class labels
• Global Harmonised System (GHS)
• HAZCHEM emergency action code
• NFPA 704 HAZMAT marking system
• packing groups

information sources must include

• chemical data
• HAZCHEM emergency action code
• Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
• technical specialists

and must include one of the following

• Dangerous Goods - Initial Emergency Response Guides
• electronic chemical databases
• International Maritime Dangerous Goods List (IMDG List)
• reference texts
• safe storage and handling information cards

This unit replaces and is equivalent to PUAFIR308B Employ personal protection at a hazardous materials incident.

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 and includes

• applying Work, Health and Safe (WHS)/Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) organisational requirements
• checking, testing and maintaining personal protective clothing and equipment
• completing hazardous materials operations
• completing organisational documentation
• following organisational testing procedures
• identifying and accessing sources of information for recognition of chemical hazards and dangerous goods
• identifying appropriate protective clothing and equipment for a range of hazardous materials
• implementing decontamination procedures
• operating personal protective equipment including Breathing Apparatus (BA), control boards and Distress Signal Units (DSU)
• selecting, donning, operating and maintaining personal protective clothing and equipment
• working in area of operations
• working in personal protective clothing and equipment at hazardous materials incidents

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

• characteristics and limitations of personal protective clothing and equipment
• check, test and maintenance procedures for personal protective clothing and equipment
• decontamination area including holding area, wash area and disrobing and rest area
• decontamination of personal protective clothing and equipment
• decontamination procedures and types of decontamination including decontamination plan and corridor
• decontamination techniques including wet, dry, combination of wet and dry and emergency, emergency mass and technical decontamination
• environmental hazards
• equipment including breathing apparatus
• local and systemic effects of industrial toxins
• main routes for entry of toxins into the human body
• organisational documentation, policies and procedures
• sources of information to identify chemical hazards and dangerous goods
• use and limitations of industry exposure standards
• Work, Health and Safe (WHS)/Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) organisational requirements including risk mitigation processes

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 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, industry standards, equipment specifications, regulations, codes of practice and operation manuals.