Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to provide emergency animal assistance during trackwork, barrier trials and race meetings. It requires the ability to assist at the incident scene using safe greyhound or horse handling techniques; manage staff, public and racing personnel at the scene; and transport the injured or deceased animal from the incident scene in accordance with workplace OHS standards.

This unit of competency operates in workplace environments of racing administration, kennels, stables, racecourses and public areas.

Licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements may apply to this unit. Check with your State Principal Racing Authority for current license or registration requirements.

Application of the unit 

This unit of competency supports race club track personnel and others authorised to provide emergency animal assistance following track incidents.

Competencies attained in this unit apply to the greyhound, harness and thoroughbred codes of the industry. Consequently when performance criteria are applied they will relate to the greyhound or harness or thoroughbred code, and statements of attainment for this unit will reflect this distinction.

This unit can be contextualised for other industries while also maintaining the integrity of the unit.

Prerequisite units 

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 

Provide assistance at incident scene.

1. Veterinarian, steward and/or other specialists  are contacted when animal emergency  occurs.

2. Assistance is provided to supervising personnel who are treating or assessing the animal.

3. OHS hazards are identified, risks assessed and procedures selected to avoid injury to personnel or animals .

4. Basic methods of restraint  are applied to animal under veterinary or specialist supervision.

Manage incident scene.

5. Privacy screens are collected and installed if necessary.

6. Staff members are allocated to restrict public access to incident area.

7. Consideration is given in the management of incident  of the distress of those associated with the injured animal and of the general public.

8. Discretion is used in the handling of a deceased animal.

Transport animal.

9. Vehicle and equipment are prepared  and transported to incident site.

10. Animal -loading techniques  are selected to minimise risk of further injury to animal or injury to personnel.

11. Discretion is used in the loading of a deceased animal.

12. Animal is transported to designated review area.

13. Transport is arranged to designated disposal area  after required samples have been collected.

14. Transport vehicle and equipment are cleaned and checked for operational readiness.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit.

Required skills 

• adhering to safe handling and work practices when dealing with greyhounds or horses
• assessing greyhound or horse behaviour status
• allocating duties to staff based on incident or situation requirements, staff experience, level of responsibility and complexity of job task
• communicating with stewards, veterinarians, racing officials, personnel and others using assertive communication techniques to gather, interpret and relay information related to providing emergency animal assistance
• completing duties in accordance with safe operating procedures in a timely manner
• complying with OHS, environmental and animal welfare legislation
• complying with organisational policies and procedures
• driving vehicle safely
• evaluating risks associated with emergency animal assistance
• making effective decisions to resolve presenting problems
• operating a range of equipment and machinery
• recognising faulty equipment, machinery and infrastructure
• reading and interpreting workplace documentation, including rules of racing
• relating to people from a range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with varying physical and mental abilities
• supervising staff
• teamwork skills to ensure completion of job tasks
• written communication skills to complete workplace documentation and reports.

Required knowledge 

• avenues and procedures for personnel to access grief counselling
• greyhound or horse behaviour and communication traits
• hazards and potential hazards in the workplace and risk control procedures
• OHS and environmental legislative requirements
• organisational policies and procedures
• principles of effective communication
• protocols and procedures for communicating with stewards, veterinarians, racing officials and other relevant people
• protocols and procedures for emergency animal care
• race meeting track management operations and staff roles
• racing industry safety requirements, including safe operating procedures
• reasonable understanding of national and state codes of practice; federal, state and territory legislation; and local government regulations covering animal welfare related to handling and transporting injured greyhounds or horses
• relevant rules of racing
• types of equipment and procedures for their operation and maintenance.

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.

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 the specific industry sector and workplace operations and satisfy all of the requirements of the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge and the range statement of this unit and include evidence of the following:

• knowledge of the requirements, procedures and instructions that are to apply when providing emergency animal assistance
• implementation of procedures and timely techniques for safe, effective and efficient provision of emergency animal assistance
• working with others to undertake and complete emergency animal assistance procedures that meet required outcomes.

Evidence should be collected over a period of time in a range of workplace-relevant contexts and include dealings with an appropriate range of situations.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Competency must be assessed in a racing workplace that provides access to the required resources or simulated environment approved by the relevant State Principal Racing Authority. Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints. It is to comply with relevant regulatory requirements or Australian Standards requirements.

Assessment of the practical components of this unit will be by observation of relevant skills.

The following resources must be available:

• greyhound or horse vehicle for transporting animals
• materials and equipment relevant to assessing candidate's ability to provide emergency animal assistance
• relevant racing track sites, such as training tracks and racecourses
• work instructions and related documentation.

Method of assessment 

Assessment methods must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the Racing Training Package.

The suggested strategies for the assessment of this unit are:

• written and/or oral assessment of candidate's required knowledge
• observed, documented and firsthand testimonial evidence of candidate's application of practical tasks
• simulation exercises conducted in a State Principal Racing Authority approved simulated environment.

Evidence is required to be demonstrated over a period of time, therefore where performance is not directly observed any evidence should be authenticated by supervisors or other appropriate persons.

This unit may be assessed in a holistic way with other units of competency relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role.

Guidance information for assessment 

Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands (e.g. literacy and numeracy demands) and the needs of particular target groups (e.g. people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people with a language background other than English, youth and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds).

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.

The range statement provides details of how this competency can be used in the workplaces of the racing industry to provide emergency animal assistance. Workplaces include greyhound, harness and thoroughbred racecourses, training tracks, administration buildings and public areas.

Other specialists  may include:

• Department of Agriculture personnel
• Department of Primary Industries personnel
• injured animal's insurance company representative
• local and state government emergency animal disease (EAD) contacts.

Animal emergency  may include:

• critical race meeting or training track injury requiring euthanasia, such as limb, neck and spinal injuries
• suspected EAD outbreak.

Assistance provided to supervising personnel  may include:

• assisting with crowd control
• assisting stewards or veterinarians, but not administering to animals
• following prescribed protocols
• providing details of animal ownership and insurance
• recording any information relevant to situation
• restraining animals
• stopping animals leaving premises, in the case of an EAD
• stopping entry of animals to premises, in the case of an EAD.

OHS hazards  may include:

• greyhounds or horses
• hazardous substances and chemicals
• machinery or equipment
• other people, including:

• contractors
• employees
• visitors

• physical environment
• unsafe work practices
• zoonotic diseases.

Risks assessment  may include:

• conducting workplace site inspection audits
• consulting with employees or specialists
• monitoring safe work practices
• using a risk assessment matrix.

Procedures to avoid injury to personnel and animals  may include:

• applying OHS hierarchy of control model:

• eliminate
• substitute
• engineer
• administrative
• personal protective equipment

• ensuring safe use and operation of equipment, including:

• first aid
• safety
• personal protective clothing and equipment

• following accident and injury procedures
• following safe operating procedures
• using correct manual handling techniques, including:

• carrying
• lifting
• shifting.

Basic methods of restraints used on animals  may include:

• chemical
• physical.

Considerations made in the management of incident  may include:

• positioning screens to block public view of incident site
• providing information about where to obtain advice regarding access to counselling
• taking care with language and making comments about prognosis
• taking care with where people stand in order to block public view.

Factors considered when vehicle and equipment  are prepared:

• ensuring vehicle and equipment, for example slide, are in good working order
• positioning vehicle for ease of access for loading animal to avoid public view and provide ease of departure.

Animal -loading techniques  may include:

• applying safe manual handling and lifting methods
• using ropes and winches.

Designated disposal area  may include:

• confirming area agreed to by stewards
• existing arrangement with local waste disposal area.

Unit Sector 

Greyhound, harness and thoroughbred racing codes

Co-requisite units 

Functional Area 

Racing common