MSS027002 Apply environmental legislation, codes and standards

Release: 1

MSS027002 Apply environmental legislation, codes and standards

Modification History

Release 1. Supersedes and is equivalent to MSS027002A Apply environmental legislation, codes and standards

Application

This unit of competency covers the ability to interpret and apply relevant environmental legislation, codes and standards to activities associated with a work area, site, project or program. Personnel are required to access, review and interpret complex legal and technical documents, develop/revise site or project-specific environmental management procedures, explain the implications of these documents to site personnel, monitor work activities to ensure compliance, and to prepare reports. Personnel work under the supervision of an environmental scientist or engineer, site manager or organisation’s environmental manager.

This unit of competency is applicable to environmental site coordinators, environmental managers and senior environmental officers working in all industry sectors. Note that the term ‘manager’ is used to refer to management of a function, project and/or program and does not necessarily imply line management.

While no specific licensing or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication, environmental monitoring and management activities are governed by relevant legislation, regulations and/or external accreditation requirements. Local requirements should be checked.

Pre-requisite Unit

Nil

Competency Field

Management

Unit Sector

Environmental

Elements and Performance Criteria

Elements describe the essential outcomes.	Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.
1	Access and interpret relevant legislation, codes and standards	1.1	Review legislative, regulatory and licensing requirements and approvals that apply to site/project.
1.2	Analyse the broad significance of these requirements for the organisation, key job roles and specific work activities.
1.3	Identify legal accountability, obligations and consequences of non-compliance.
1.4	Obtain advice from appropriate personnel about environmental law matters that impact on work area and are outside own scope of knowledge.
1.5	Clarify own scope of responsibility/authority for achieving specific environmental outcomes.
2	Ensure project or site specific environmental management procedures comply with requirements	2.1	Review relevant workplace environmental management policies, plans and procedures in conjunction with legislative requirements.
2.2	Assess the need for project or site-specific environmental management procedures in consultation with manager.
2.3	Draft new or revised procedures to address any gaps or deficiencies.
2.4	Provide draft documentation to appropriate personnel for review and/or approval prior to use.
3	Promote compliance by site personnel	3.1	Distribute clear information about the environmental management roles and responsibilities of site personnel.
3.2	Provide clear information about workplace environmental management policies, plans and procedures and work instructions.
3.3	Explain the implications of non-compliance to all site personnel in work area.
3.4	Empower site personnel through coaching and mentoring to manage their own environmental responsibilities.
4	Ensure that work activities meet compliance requirements	4.1	Plan work activities to ensure environmental compliance.
4.2	Recognise when current or planned activities may require changes to existing licences/approvals and notify appropriate personnel.
4.3	Implement environmental management policies, plans and procedures to ensure compliance and achieve environmental objectives and key performance indicators.
4.4	Collect and collate environmental data to support preparation of required reports and compliance information.
4.5	Review environmental data for completeness/accuracy and identify opportunities for improving compliance.
4.6	Complete reporting requirements in accordance with workplace procedures and legislative requirements.
5	Maintain knowledge of legislative requirements	5.1	Monitor sources of information for changes to relevant legislation, codes and standards.
5.2	Regularly update information for site personnel and explain changes to legal requirements that impact on work area.

Foundation Skills

This section describes those required skills (language, literacy and numeracy) that are essential to performance.

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.

Range of Conditions

This field allows for different work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included.
Legislation, regulations, standards, codes, workplace procedures and requirements include the latest version of one or more of:	federal legislation, such as the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, Australian Heritage Council Act, Native Title Act and National Environmental Protection Measures state/territory government legislation and local government by-laws, policies, regulations and plans dealing with land use; environmental protection; cultural/heritage sites; vegetation management; nature conservation and wildlife/plant protection; water and water management; soil conservation; pollution and contaminated sites; fisheries, forestry and mining operations legislation, standards and codes of practice for work health and safety (WHS), handling of dangerous goods, radiation protection Australian and international standards covering environmental management such as AS/NZS ISO 14000 Basic Set:2007 Environmental Management Basic Set registration/licensing and/or accreditation requirements workplace environmental management plans for specific sites and/or activities, monitoring/inspection procedures, management actions to prevent/control environmental impacts or risks site information, such as applicable legislative and approval requirements, site processes and work schedules, emergency preparedness and response, job hazard analyses, safe work procedures and work method statements workplace documents, such as standard operating procedures (SOPs); work schedules; recording and reporting procedures; equipment manuals and warranties; safety data sheets (SDS); and safety procedures; waste minimisation, containment, processing and safe disposal procedures.
Major features of legislation, codes and standards include one or more of:	scope of application, objectives and policies assessment procedures works approval procedures permits regulation of activities licensing procedures, terms and conditions environment protection notices, offences and penalties notification requirements auditing requirements powers of investigation courts, enforcement provisions and sentencing options.
Site personnel include one or more of:	employees contractors and subcontractors consultants, such as environmental scientists, planners, engineers and external auditors suppliers and service providers government/regulator representatives and inspectors visitors, members of the public, community representatives and landowners.
Reports include one or more of:	weekly environmental reports monthly environmental reports regulatory agency reports as required by permit, approval or licence conditions.
Sources of information about legislative changes include one or more of:	Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) Network Australasian Legal Information Institute industry forums compliance reports government/industry newsletters industry journals information updates from regulatory authorities websites.
WHS and environmental management requirements include:	 compliance with relevant federal/state/territory WHS legislation at all times  assuming that samples are potentially hazardous and applying standard precautions accessing and applying current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and state/territory Departments of Health, where relevant.

Unit Mapping Information

Release 1. Supersedes and is equivalent to MSS027002A Apply environmental legislation, codes and standards

Links

MSA Training Package Implementation Guides - http://mskills.org.au/training-packages/info/