Improve the quality and reliability of scientific or technical activities in the workplace
Overview
This standard covers the competences you need to
demonstrate how to improve the quality and reliability of
scientific or technical activities in the workplace in
accordance with approved procedures and practices.
You will be required to demonstrate that you can make
recommendations for improvements to working practices or
the work area, which are consistent with the objectives of
your team and your organisation in accordance with the
relevant workplace procedures.
The activity is likely to be undertaken by someone in a
science related work setting, including individuals working
in hospitals, scientific laboratories, schools and universities.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
P1 ensure that your work is carried out in accordance with
workplace procedures
P2 use safe practices and the appropriate personal
protection equipment (PPE) when performing scientific or
technical activities
P3 monitor activities at intervals in order to identify potential
improvements in working practices or the work area
P4 obtain views, when appropriate, of relevant people on
potential improvements to the working practices or the work
area
P5 agree plans for improvements and timescales with
relevant people in sufficient detail to allow effective
planning
P6 identify any considerations which may affect the
implementation of potential improvements
P7 make recommendations for improvements to working
practices or the work area which are consistent with the
objectives of your team and your organisation
P8 monitor the implementation of improvements to identify
any problems and take appropriate action
P9 evaluate the effectiveness of the improvement
P10 work safely at all times, complying with health and
safety, environmental and other relevant regulations and
guidelines
P11 communicate the required information about the work
done, in accordance with departmental and organisational
procedures
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
K1 the health and safety requirements of the area in which
you are carrying out the scientific or technical activities
K2 the implications of not taking account of legislation,
regulations, standards and guidelines when conducting
scientific or technical activities
K3 the scientific or technical techniques and processes you
must use correctly in the workplace.
K4 the importance of wearing protective clothing, gloves
and eye protection for scientific or technical activities
K5 the importance of correct identification, and any unique
workplace coding system
K6 the organisational requirements for maintaining the
security of the workplace
K7 the lines of communication and responsibilities in your
department, and the links with the rest of the organisation
K8 the limits of your own authority and to whom you should
report if you have problems that you cannot resolve
K9 the organisational procedures for determining when and
how quality assurance activities should be undertaken
K10 the processes and specifications for the activity being
quality assured
K11 how to obtain the quality criteria that could be used for
the different types of scientific or technical processes
K12 the current quality assurance methods that are in use
K13 the people who should be involved in the quality
assurance process
K14 the impact that quality assurance methods have on the
organisation
K15 the people who require information on quality
assurance, and the procedures for informing them
K16 how to make recommendations for improvement
K17 how to ensure that the recommendations are
consistent with objectives of your team and/or your
workplace
K18 how to communicate suggestions for change and
improvements
K19 what methods can be used to implement the
improvements
K20 how to plan and agree appropriate timescales for
improvements
K21 how to identify problems and the actions that are
appropriate to take in the event of them
K22 how to evaluate and monitor improvements
K23 how to ensure that quality improvement
recommendations are followed up
K24 the importance of making sure that all information used
is accurate
K25 the format and procedure for maintaining quality
assurance records
K26 the document control and reporting procedures that
should be used
K27 the reasons why effective communication is important,
and the methods used for communicating effectively
Scope/range
- discuss quality improvements with one of the following
people:
1.1 supervisor
1.2 team leader
1.3 health and safety officer
1.4 manager
1.5 head of department
1.6 teacher or trainer - consider all of the following for potential quality
improvements:
2.1 adherence to COSHH and other relevant safety
regulations
2.2 changes required to quality control specifications and
related documents
2.3 estimated costs v benefits, implementation timescales
and other inputs required
2.4 the approval needed to implement the identified quality
improvement activities
2.5 all the personnel and workplace processes that will be
effected by quality improvement activities - identify potential quality improvements related to two of
the following scientific or technical activities:
3.1 biological equipment and/or instruments
3.2 chemical equipment and/or instruments
3.3 electronic equipment and/or instruments
3.4 weighing and measuring equipment and/or instruments
3.5 information technology equipment
3.6 engineering machines, equipment and/or instruments
3.7 other technical equipment or instruments - record and communicate details of work done, to the
appropriate people, using:
4.1 verbal report plus one method from the following:
4.2 written or typed report
4.3 computer-based record
4.4 specific workplace documentation
4.5 electronic mail