Split meat carcasses
Overview
This standard is about the skills and knowledge needed for you to split meat carcasses in food operations. Beef, lamb, pork, goat and venison carcasses are commonly split to aid handling and butchery operations. Splitting meat carcasses is an essential part of the processing of meat to enable handling and butchery to be carried out more effectively and efficiently.
You will need to be able to split meat carcasses using the correct tools and equipment and adhering to regulatory and organisational specifications. You must also know how to address problems and be able to apply your skills and knowledge within food safety and health and safety regulations and any relevant international industry codes. You should also have an understanding of how the green circular economy supports repeated use of resources and products within your organisation.
This standard is for you if you work in food operations and are involved in splitting meat carcasses.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- prepare to carry out splitting of carcass according to organisational requirements and standards
- wear and use personal protective equipment according to regulatory standards and organisational requirements
- check availability of meat carcass for splitting
- assemble tools and equipment needed for splitting
- check availability of storage area for split carcass with relevant people
- make sure the carcass is in the most effective position for splitting
- place yourself in the most effective place and position for splitting
- carry out splitting of the carcass following organisational requirements and standards
- carry out splitting at a pace to meet the speed of production
- clean and maintain tools and equipment between tasks following organisational requirements and standards and to meet food safety requirements
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- how to access organisational procedures
- the organisational and regulatory requirements and procedures that must be adhered to when splitting carcasses
- the personal protective equipment required to split meat carcasses
- the tools and equipment needed to split carcasses
- why it is important to have clean personal protective equipment, work area, tools and equipment when splitting carcasses
- the importance of keeping waste to a minimum when splitting carcasses, its effect on yield and potential loss of revenue
- the importance of carrying out quality checks against organisational specifications
- the limits of your own authority and competence and why it is important to work within those limits
- what recording, reporting and communication is needed, how to carry this out and the reasons why it is important to do so