NSW Coal Competence Board. Examination Guide. Certificate of Competence to be a Mine Electrical Engineer. June Version 1.0

Transcription

1 NSW Coal Competence Board Examination Guide Certificate of Competence to be a Mine Electrical Engineer June 2011 Version 1.0

2 Table of contents 1. Purpose of this Examination Guide Coal Competence Board examinations The learning process What will the examinations be based on? Technical skills OHS legislation Other integrated skills Ten elements of OHS management Employability Skills Associated Non Technical Skills What type of questions may be asked in an examination?...8 Management model References...11 Title: Examination Guide - Author: NSW Coal Competence Board State of New South Wales through Department of Trade & Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services 2011 This publication is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in an unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal use or for non-commercial use within your organisation. To copy, adapt, publish, distribute or commercialise any of this publication you will need to seek permission from the Manager Publishing, DTIRIS, Orange. For updates to this publication, check Published by NSW Department of Trade & Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services First published June 2011 Disclaimer The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing (May 2011). However, because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that information on which they rely is up to date and to check the currency of the information with the appropriate officer of the Department or the user s independent advisor. TRIM reference: OUT11/2217 OUT11/2217 Version June 2011 Page 2 of 12

3 A guide for examination candidates, examiners and education / training providers 1. Purpose of this Examination Guide This Examination Guide has been developed to provide guidance on the Coal Competence Board s examinations for the. It aims to address the needs of three key target groups, as shown in the following diagram: Figure 1 Target groups Examiners Coal Competence Board Examination Guide Candidates Education / training providers This Examination Guide is designed to meet the needs of each of these target groups, as follows: 1. Candidates: o An overview of the learning and assessment process required to meet the requirements of the Coal Competence Board o Information on what may be included in written and oral examinations. 2. Examiners: o Consistent criteria which may be used for setting examination questions o Consistent criteria for assessing whether a candidate has met the requirements to be granted a. 3. Education / training providers (RTOs, universities): o Information on what may be included in written and oral examinations to assist in preparing candidates for the Coal Competence Board examination. OUT11/2217 Version June 2011 Page 3 of 12

4 2. Coal Competence Board examinations The Coal Competence Board s Rules for the Conduct of Examinations for Certificate of Competence to be a Mine Electrical Engineer contains the prerequisites for applying for a certificate of competence. The rules can be downloaded from the Department of Trade & Investment, Regional Infrastructure & Services (the Department) website (refer to the References section). Note: a may be granted subject to conditions. This may be in a format such as: (underground or surface); or (surface parts of a coal operation only). The intent of the Coal Competence Board s examination process is to collect evidence and make an assessment about whether a candidate: 1. Has the required knowledge of legislation and safe systems of work in a coal operation and can apply that knowledge safely. 2. Can apply engineering systems, technology and practices to practical mining applications. 3. Is competent to perform the duties and functions of a manager of electrical engineering or qualified electrical engineer under the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act 2002 and the Coal Mines Health and Safety Regulation The scope of the examinations for the knowledge and skills assessed is: A. Written examinations (may include): Legislation o Coal Mine Health and Safety Act 2002 o Coal Mine Health and Safety Regulation 2006 o Coal Industry Act 2001 o Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 o Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001 o Explosives Act 2003 and Explosives Regulation 2005 o relevant parts of any other legislation as they may apply to a Mine Electrical Engineer Practical underground operation o Practical day-to-day operations of a coal operations o Application of relevant aspects of legislation and safe working o Knowledge and application of risk management processes and practices o Knowledge of the causes of accidents and application of processes and practices to prevent recurrence B. Oral examinations (may include): applying theoretical knowledge to the practical aspects of mining engineering safety practices in New South Wales recent Safety Bulletins / Safety Alerts issued by the Department and/or other relevant industry body subject matter from the question papers of the written examination questions relating to the candidate s practical experience. OUT11/2217 Version June 2011 Page 4 of 12

5 3. The learning process It is important for examination candidates (and education / training providers preparing candidates for examinations) to recognise the learning process leading up to sitting for the Coal Competence Board s examinations. Figure 2 Learning process Industry framework Legislation Risk management Coal operation s o o HSMS Major Hazard Management Plans Standards and Guidelines Safety Alerts and Bulletins Education / training Training (RTO or uni) Assessment (RTO or uni) National qualification issued by RTO or university Practical experience Relevant experience at a coal operation Visits to other coal operations Benchmarking Logbook recording Mentoring by candidate s employer Assisting learners with education / training issues Providing technical mentoring Supporting understanding and application of the industry framework Developing understanding of the mine s HSMS and associated management plans Notes for education / training providers delivering prerequisite qualifications recognised by the Coal Competence Board: It is important that the Employability Skills are integrated into the learning and assessment for this qualification. These have been identified as the requirements by industry through the process of developing the training package qualifications (refer to section below for an explanation of Employability Skills). It is critical that candidates visit other coal operations as part of a comprehensive learning strategy. This is to enhance understanding of the practical aspects of mining engineering and related safety practices, not only at the candidate s place of employment, but across a range of coal operations. Use of the logbook (Appendix A), or some other form of summary document (eg in a resume format) is highly recommended, and may be part of the information presented by candidates at the oral examination. OUT11/2217 Version June 2011 Page 5 of 12

6 4. What will the examinations be based on? The Coal Competence Board s examination panel must assess whether a candidate is competent to perform the functions of a Manager of electrical engineering (for underground coal operations) or qualified electrical engineer (for the surface parts of a coal operation only) under the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act To make this assessment, the examination panel may examine candidates on any aspect covered in the learning process shown in figure 2. However, in practical terms, the examination panel will focus on the following components: 1. Industry framework. 2. Practical experience. Aspects of education / training from figure 2, may be covered in examinations. This is most likely to be in the context of assessing whether a candidate has the required knowledge of legislation and the interpretation and application of electrical engineering principles. 4.1 Technical skills The areas from the industry framework section from figure 2 that examinations are most likely to focus on are (this is not intended to be an exhaustive list): elements of a coal operation s Health and Safety Management System a coal operation s Major Hazard Management Plan a coal operation s Electrical Engineering Management Plan (EEMP) o covering the life cycle of electrical plant and installations, and electrical engineering practices, at the coal operation, as outlined in clause 13(1)(e) of o the Coal Mine Health and Safety Regulation 2006 Making provision for all the matters as outlined in clause 19 of the Coal Mine Health and Safety Regulation 2006 additional components of a coal operation s Health and Safety Management System high-risk activities approval processes other specific aspects from legislation and/or a coal operation s Health and Safety Management System: o risk and change management (as per AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009 Risk management Principles and guidelines) o consultation o contractor management o emergency management system o notifiable incidents. o check inspectors o operation of transport o fitness for work o change management in particular the introduction of new systems of work o exemption applications relevant Standards and Mining Design Guidelines including: o awareness of existence o an appropriate level of knowledge (eg AS/NZS 4804:2001 Occupational health and safety management systems General guidelines on principles, systems and supporting techniques) o some in-depth those critical to the role of an Undermanager (eg AS/NZS ISO 3100:2009 Risk management Principles and guidelines and MDG 1020 Guideline for underground emergency escape systems and the provision for self rescuers) Safety Alerts and Safety Bulletins, Guidance Notes and guidelines material Gazette notices. High-level knowledge of the three primary explosion-protection Australian Standards namely flameproof, intrinsically safe and increased safety and a working understanding of all other explosion-protected techniques. OUT11/2217 Version June 2011 Page 6 of 12

7 It is highly recommended that further technical competencies be obtained prior to sitting the Coal Competence Board s examination. These may include but are not limited to: 1. Electrical equipement in hazardous areas (eg as contained in National Competency Standard UTENES609 (A to Z qualifier) A Develop and manage maintenance programs for hazardous area electrical equipment) 2. Risk management (eg aas contained in National Competency Standard RIIRIS402A Carry out the risk management processes (sometimes referred to as G2 or RIIRIS601A Establish and maintain the risk management system (sometimes referred to as G3). 3. High Voltage Switching Operations. A separate Examination Syllabus has been developed to outline in more detail the topics and issues which may be covered in Coal Competence Board s Mine Electrical Engineer s Certificte of Competence examinations. This is available on the Department website (see References section). 4.2 OHS legislation Candidates studying for a should possess a comprehensive understanding of relevant occupational health and safety legislation as it applies to underground and or open cut coal Mines in NSW. This is available on the Departments web-site (the web link is in the References section). 4.3 Other integrated skills Candidates should note that aspects of the following may be examined as part of the Coal Competence Board s examinations: 1. Ten elements of OHS management 2. Employability Skills 3. Associated Non-Technical Skills (ANTS). Employability Skills and Associated Non-Technical Skills, while similar, have both been included in this guide. Employability Skills form part of the competencies framework, are essential for successful completion of national training qualifications and are considered necessary for effective work participation. Associated Non-Technical Skills have their origin in safety management and are supporting skills that complement technical and management skills and contribute to safe and efficient task performance. These are unlikely to be examined in isolation, but may be integrated into technical, problem solving or emergency response type questions. Even though these skills may not be examined separately, part of the examination marks may be allocated to how effectively candidates are able to demonstrate these skills. The following sections contain information of these three skill areas Ten elements of OHS management Candidates should be familiar with the concept of the statutory standard of care, as contained in legislation. The Department has developed a list of 10 elements (sometimes referred to as the 10 hurdles ) for persons to discharge their duties, which are: 1. Consultation 2. Hazard identification and hierarchy of controls 3. Risk assessment (probability x consequence) 4. Risk management including procedures, standards of engineering practice (SEP) 5. Information 6. Instruction and training 7. Supervision 8. Monitoring 9. Review 10. Revision / rectification It may assist candidates to obtain further information on the approach to address the 10 hurdles (refer to the References section). OUT11/2217 Version June 2011 Page 7 of 12

8 4.3.2 Employability Skills Employability Skills are defined within the industry training package qualifications which may be used to meet the academic prerequisite requirements for a certificate of competence. Employability Skills are also sometimes referred to as generic skills, capabilities or key competencies. They describe generic competencies for effective participation in work. There are eight Employability Skills: 1. Communication 2. Teamwork 3. Problem solving 4. Initiative and enterprise 5. Planning and organising 6. Self management 7. Learning 8. Technology A copy of the Employability Skills can be accessed from the Skills DMC website (refer to References section) Associated Non Technical Skills Associated Non-Technical Skills (ANTS) are essential supporting skills that complement technical and management skills and contribute to safe and efficient task performance. These skills include: 1. Situation awareness 2. Decision making 3. Communication 4. Teamwork 5. Leadership. Further information on Associated Non-Technical Skills (ANTS) is available on the Department s website (refer to the References section). 5. What type of questions may be asked in an examination? Examiners will typically aim to assess a candidate s ability to solve a workplace-based problem. A candidate may be asked to demonstrate skills and/or knowledge at one or more levels: 1. Describe (eg knowledge, facts, formula) 2. Apply (eg comprehend, calculate) 3. Interpret (analyse, process) 4. Evaluate (appraise, judge). To assess these areas, questions may be based on: o Relevant aspects from legislation (mainly in written examinations) o A typical workplace problem which may be encountered by a Manger of Electrical Engineering (for underground coal operation) or a Mince Electrical Engineer(for the surface parts of a coal operation only) in performing their duties o A recent incident relevant to an underground operation (coal or non-coal), and publicised by the Department through a Safety Alert (or similar notification). Note, that in the written examinations, questions may be either closed book or open book. Examples of examination questions can be found in the past examination papers, which are available on the Department s website (refer to the References section). The website also contains Examiner Panel Reports from past examinations. OUT11/2217 Version June 2011 Page 8 of 12

9 Management model It is essential that candidates for the mine electrical engineer examinations are able to explain and use in answering questions a management model. This is a key framework that candidates need to demonstrate that they can work within. The essential components of a management model are: 1. Planned management cycle ie plan, do, check, review (PDCR) 2. Unplanned management (eg when a major incident occurs), ie regain control and then use the planned management cycle. The key components of the PDCR management model are shown in figure 3 on the following page. It should be noted that there are other version of this management model. A notable variation on the four-step PDCR management model is the framework in AS/NZS 4804 Occupational health and safety management systems General guidelines on principles, systems and supporting techniques. This is a five-step OHS management system model, with the steps being OHS policy; planning; implementation; measurement and evaluation; management review. The OHS management system model is shown in figure 4. Figure 3 Management model PDCR cycle Unplanned events Respond / Isolate Assess (Identify hazards, Assess risk, Plan) Respond Regain Control OUT11/2217 Version June 2011 Page 9 of 12

10 Figure 4 OHS management system model (AS/NZS 4804:2001) OUT11/2217 Version June 2011 Page 10 of 12

11 6. References Coal Competence Board examinations Rules, Requirements and Applications, Past Examinations and Examiner Panel Reports SkillsDMC - for information on: Vocational Education and Training Qualifications recognised by the coal industry Latest version of RII09 Resources and Infrastructure Industry Training Package Employability Skills ucture%20industry%20training%20package/qualifications.aspx The 10 hurdles data/assets/pdf_file/0019/182260/nichols---ohs-map2dn.pdf Associated Non-Technical Skills (ANTS) OUT11/2217 Version June 2011 Page 11 of 12

12 APPENDIX A LOG BOOK FOR VISITS TO COAL OPERATIONS Start a separate page for each visit If required, use more than one page for each visit Extra notes may be attached Your Name Type of coal operation What are the objectives for the visit? Did you achieve the objectives? Date of visit / Open Cut 1. Name of Coal... / Operation... Underground 2. CHPP 3. What did you do during your visit? Who did you meet / see? Name Position Issues discussed with this person What did you learn? From observations in the workplace From discussions with people Verification of site visit - to be signed by manager at visited operation or trainer from the Training Provider (if visit was organised by the Training Provider) Name Signature Date Note this sheet may be used: o as a Cover Page for more comprehensive notes /information on visits to coal operations, and /or o for visits to OEM s or attendance at conferences if applicable.