PMAOPS410 Operate remote production facilities

Release: 1

PMAOPS410 Operate remote production facilities

Modification History

Release 1. Supersedes and is equivalent to PMAOPS410B Monitor remote production facilities

Application

This unit of competency covers the skills and knowledge required to operate and monitor remote process/plant, including production facilities and its associated ancillary equipment and services, from a remote, off-site control system using ground based, satellite or other communications systems. It applies to remote facilities, such as wellheads, separation facilities, utility systems, compressor/pumping stations, treatment stations and satellite processes.

This unit of competency applies to senior technicians or similar roles who are required to apply in depth knowledge of process and plant to in order to operate, monitor and optimise the remote facility, perform tests and isolations, solve process problems and liaise with other plants and facilities.

This unit of competency would typically require the use of a control system, such as a distributed control systems (DCS) or supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA).

It is not expected that there would be a ‘field operator’ available full time at the remote facility and arranging for one to attend could be part of the role.

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

Pre-requisite Unit

Nil

Competency Field

Operations

Unit Sector

Elements and Performance Criteria

Elements describe the essential outcomes.	Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.
1	Prepare for operation of remote facility	1.1	Receive and give shift handover
1.2	Identify work requirements
1.3	Identify and control remote facility hazards
1.4	Check for recent work undertaken on remote facility
1.5	Note any outstanding/incomplete work
1.6	Check operational status of remote facility
1.7	Liaise with field operator and other personnel responsible for remote facility confirming expected attendance time and work to be performed
2	Operate the remote facility	2.1	Monitor the remote facility, its component plant items, utilities and environment frequently and critically throughout shift using measured/ indicated data
2.2	Describe impacts of any environmental changes and changes upstream and downstream
2.3	Recognise actual and developing situations which may require action
2.4	Apply operational knowledge to resolve problems
2.5	Take other actions on abnormal situations which cannot be resolved during the shift to ensure safety and the resolution of the situation
2.6	Follow through items initiated until final resolution has occurred
3	Recover and measure product	3.1	Monitor quality and quantity of products and wastes generated
3.2	Maximise recovery of product and transfer in accordance with procedures
3.3	Ensure all waste is treated in accordance with procedures and waste disposed of is within environmental/licence limits
3.4	Ensure measuring, sampling, testing and data logging is occurring to schedule
4	Organise required onsite activities	4.1	Identify job scope and timing of required on-site work from monitored data, job schedules and observations of remote facility operations
4.2	Arrange for appropriate personnel to attend remote site within the required timeframe
4.3	Liaise with personnel attending site from their departure for remote site, their activities on remote site and their return to base
4.4	Check effectiveness of on-site work before personnel leave remote site
5	Isolate and de-isolate remote facility	5.1	Arrange to have personnel on site in accordance with procedures
5.2	Complete any required pre-start checks
5.3	Start up/shut down remote facility according to the type and duty in liaison with other personnel
5.4	Start up/shut down/changeover component plant items within unit according to their type and duty in liaison with other personnel
5.5	Isolate entire remote facility and/or any component plant item
5.6	Make safe for required work
5.7	Check remote facility/plant item is ready to be returned to service
5.8	De-isolate and prepare remote facility/plant item for return to service

Foundation Skills

This section describes those language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills 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.
Regulatory framework	The latest version of all legislation, regulations, industry codes of practice and Australian/international standards, or the version specified by the local regulatory authority, must be used, and include one or more of the following: legislative requirements, including work health and safety (WHS) industry codes of practice and guidelines environmental regulations and guidelines Australian and other standards licence and certification requirements All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environment (HSE) requirements, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation, and these must not be compromised at any time. Where there is an apparent conflict between performance criteria and HSE requirements, the HSE requirements take precedence.
Hazards	Hazards include one or more of the following: remoteness/single operator electricity gases and liquids under pressure structural hazards structural collapse equipment failures industrial (machinery, equipment and product) equipment or product mass noise, rotational equipment or vibration working at heights, in restricted or confined spaces, or in environments subjected to heat, dusts or vapours flammability and explosivity hazardous products and materials unauthorised personnel sharp edges, protrusions or obstructions slippery surfaces, spills or leaks extreme weather other hazards that might arise
Procedures	All operations must be performed in accordance with relevant procedures. Procedures are written, verbal, visual, computer-based or in some other form, include one or more of the following: emergency procedures work instructions standard operating procedures (SOPs) safe work method statements (SWMS) formulas/recipes batch sheets temporary instructions any similar instructions provided for the smooth running of the plant
Routine problems	Routine problems are predictable problems with known solutions and include one or more of the following: variations in feed contamination of product control of temperature and pressure variations in waste equipment malfunction vibration
Non-routine problems	Non-routine problems are unexpected problems, or variations of previous problems and must be resolved by applying operational knowledge to develop new solutions, either individually or in collaboration with relevant experts, to: determine problems needing action determine possible fault causes develop solutions to problems which do not have a known solution follow through items initiated until final resolution has occurred report problems outside area of responsibility to designated person Operational knowledge includes one or more of the following: procedures training technical information, such as journals and engineering specifications remembered experience relevant knowledge obtained from appropriate people
Remote production facility	This unit of competency includes all such items of equipment and unit operations which form part of the remote production facility, including as appropriate to the facility, one or more of the following: valves pumps prime movers compressors separators instrumentation storage tanks, ponds and dams filters wellheads hydraulic well control panels fire and gas safety systems

Unit Mapping Information

Release 1. Supersedes and is equivalent to PMAOPS410B Monitor remote production facilities

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=9fc2cf53-e570-4e9f-ad6a-b228ffdb6875