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 gain access to and extricate casualties from a range of industrial or domestic incidents whilst minimising the potential for further injury and preserving the integrity of evidence.

An industrial rescue involves the safe removal of persons who have had an accident in a workplace such as a factory, warehouse or building site. It involves disentanglement from machinery and extrication from heavy machinery; rescue of occupants trapped in elevators and escalators is included.

Domestic rescues involve the rescue of occupants trapped in household settings. This includes such things as children with fingers stuck in drain plug holes and persons who are physically incapable of removing themselves from their house due to ill health.

The unit requires a responder to access casualties using a range of techniques and to operate rescue equipment. It is applicable to members of a rescue team.

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

Not applicable.

Search and Rescue

Not applicable

ELEMENTS 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

Elements describe the essential outcomes.

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

1  

Prepare for industrial/domestic rescue 

1.1 

Operation and task information is received through a briefing, in accordance with organisational procedures

1.2 

Appropriate rescue resources are identified, selected, and checked to ensure they are ready for use

1.3 

Personal protective and clothing equipment is selected based on type of industrial or domestic rescue situation

1.4 

Systematic approach to identifying potential hazards and associated risks is undertaken en route and on approach to the incident

2 

Establish and maintain rescue scene safety 

2.1 

Communication and ongoing liaison with rescue team members is established and maintained throughout rescue incident

2.2 

Liaison with other personnel is established and maintained, in accordance with organisational procedures

2.3 

Rescue scene assessment is conducted, as required

2.4 

Hazards and environmental conditions are identified, monitored and controlled using risk mitigation processes

2.5 

Rescue team is positioned taking into account potential dangers, requirements for personnel and vehicles to access the incident scene and limitations of operating equipment

2.6 

Safe work area is established to protect casualties, emergency services personnel and members of the public

2.7 

Impact effects of rescue operation on occupancy areas and potential effects on casualties are assessed

2.8 

Techniques and equipment are employed to stabilise occupancy area surrounding rescue operation and to make incident site safe

2.9 

Rescue resources and equipment are accessed based on an assessment of the incident, in accordance with organisational procedures

3 

Manage casualties 

3.1 

Hygiene precautions are implemented, in accordance with organisational procedures

3.2 

Techniques and equipment are used to gain access to casualties

3.3 

Primary survey of casualty is undertaken to determine type and severity of injury

3.4 

Injuries that may complicate removal of casualty from area are confirmed and appropriate action is taken

3.5 

In the event of multiple casualties a triage assessment is undertaken to determine priorities for medical treatment and extrication

3.6 

Need for additional personnel and/or specialist equipment is requested, as required

3.7 

Treatment of located casualty is undertaken in consolation with medical personnel and in accordance with organisational procedures

3.8 

Support is provided to medical personnel assisting with the treatment of casualties, as required

4 

Conduct industrial/technical rescue operation 

4.1 

Features of the occupancy in rescue area, including materials and design elements, that may impact on the casualty extrication are taken into account when using rescue techniques and equipment

4.2 

Access and extrication plans are determined in consultation with team leader, medical staff and other technical specialists

4.3 

Access path is provided for the removal of casualty using appropriate rescue techniques and equipment

4.4 

Casualty is extricated using recognised rescue techniques and equipment

4.5 

Organisational procedures are implemented to protect casualty from further injury or discomfort during access and extrication

5 

Conclude rescue operations 

5.1 

Appropriate actions are taken to preserve the incident scene, in accordance with organisational procedures

5.2 

Equipment is recovered, cleaned and serviced, in accordance with organisational procedures and manufacturers' guidelines

5.3 

Hygiene precautions are implemented, in accordance with organisational procedures

5.4 

Decontamination procedures are followed, in accordance with organisational procedures

5.5 

Operational debriefing is participated in, in accordance organisational procedures

5.6 

Operational documentation including post incident report 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.

This unit replaces and is equivalent to PUASAR026A Undertake industrial and domestic rescue.

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 and performance criteria on at least one occasion and includes

• accessing the scene including allowing clear access and egress for other responding vehicles and ambulances and establishing a clear area to manoeuvre personnel and stretchers
• applying a systematic approach to rescues and implementing safe work practices throughout the incident
• applying Work, Health and Safety (WHS)/Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) requirements including risk mitigation
• assessing and monitoring impact effects on occupancy areas
• completing documentation including post incident exposure reports
• conducting a primary survey
• conducting and concluding industrial and/or domestic rescue operations
• developing access plans
• establishing and maintaining communication methods
• establishing and maintaining rescue scene safety
• establishing safe work areas
• extracting casualties safely whist minimising further injury or discomfort to casualty, self and others
• following organisational policies and procedures
• gaining access to casualties
• identifying, selecting and checking rescue resources
• implementing hygiene precautions
• maintaining situational awareness and being alert to environmental and situation hazards
• making decisions related to the rescue
• managing and removing casualties
• operating rescue equipment to gain access to casualties
• participating in briefings and contributing to debriefings
• performing triage assessments
• preparing for industrial and/or domestic rescues including collecting operational and task information and resources
• preserving scene evidence including defining and redefining scene boundary, preserving evidence and related legal requirements and securing the scene
• recovering, cleaning and servicing rescue equipment
• selecting and wearing personal protective clothing and equipment
• stabilising and treating casualties
• stabilising the occupancy area
• undertaking a systematic approach to identifying potential hazards and risks
• undertaking rescue scene assessments including collecting information about casualties and hazards, isolating and eliminating utilities and surveying the incident scene
• using communication equipment and techniques
• working as a member of a rescue team in a multi-organisational environment and within an organisation’s incident management structure

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy all the requirements of the elements and performance criteria includes knowledge of

• access to casualty including accessing elevator shafts, disassembly of machinery, managing moving machinery, managing utilities supplies and removing domestic plumbing
• access to the scene including allowing clear access and egress for other responding vehicles and ambulances and establishing a clear area to manoeuvre personnel and stretchers
• casualty care procedures including triage
• casualty extrication including potential impacts and effects and use of rescue spinal boards, stretchers and team stretcher handling
• characteristics and limitations of rescue equipment
• communication methods and techniques
• hazard treatments
• hygiene precautions
• impact effects on occupancy areas including isolation of essential services
• incident reports, field notes and logbook requirements
• limitation of rescue equipment including access to incident site and equipment capabilities and limitations
• manufacturers' equipment guidelines
• need for situational awareness
• operation and task information including availability of company personnel to provide technical advice, environmental and other hazards at the scene, other public safety organisations at the scene or en route, time of day and difficulty in accessing scene, type of machinery or household items involved and type of rescue and number of casualties
• organisational documentation, policies and procedures
• other relevant personnel and/or experts
• potential hazards and risks
• preserving evidence
• primary surveys
• processes and procedures for briefings and debriefings
• recover, clean and service equipment including cleaning or disposal, contaminated clothing and equipment, equipment inspected for damage and serviceability and inventories checked
• removal of casualties including rescue and spine boards, stretchers, team stretcher and handling
• rescue personnel roles and responsibilities and role of participating organisations
• rescue resources including ancillary equipment such as stretchers, equipment and hand tools; hot cutting equipment; lifting and hauling equipment; lighting equipment; pneumatic, hydraulic and mechanical electrical tools; patient protection equipment; rescue units and sowed equipment and tools boxes
• rescue scene assessment including collecting information about casualties and hazards; isolating and eliminating utilities and surveying incident scene
• risk assessment processes including safe work practices
• situational and environmental hazards including adverse weather, biological hazards such as body fluids and tissue, convergence, difficult terrain, dusts, electrical and mechanical moving machinery, electricity, equipment power and drive systems, gas, hazardous materials and atmospheres, location, stability and movements of machinery, machinery fuel systems, mobile property, sharp and jagged objects, slippery surfaces, water and sewerage utilities
• systematic approach identifying potential hazards and risks
• treating hazards including eliminating the hazard; isolating the area and source; stabilising overhead hazards and using personal protective clothing and equipment
• types of domestic rescue procedures and techniques including children with fingers in drain plugs; removal of rings and persons who are physically incapable of removing themselves from their houses due to ill health
• types of industrial rescue procedures and techniques including agricultural machinery; disentanglement from machinery located in factories, warehouses and building sites; elevators and escalators; industrial and construction incidents; industrial machinery entrapments; occupants trapped in elevators and escalators and shut in shipping containers
• use of personal protective clothing and equipment
• Work, Health and Safety (WHS)/Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) requirements including risk mitigation

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 must occur in workplace operational situations where it is appropriate to do so; where this is not appropriate, assessment must occur in organisationally approved simulated workplace operational situations that replicate workplace conditions.

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.

Competency must be demonstrated in simulations using a range of domestic appliances and industrial machinery.

Resources for assessment must include access to

• a range of relevant exercises, case studies and/or simulations
• relevant and appropriate materials, rescue tools, rescue equipment and personal protective clothing and equipment used in industry including

• equipment, personnel and facilities appropriate to an industrial and/or domestic rescue incident training exercise

• applicable documentation including organisational procedures, industry standards, equipment specifications, regulations, codes of practice and operations manuals.