Provide food and water to animals under supervision and instruction
Overview
You will need to be aware of the importance of health, safety, hygiene and current animal welfare legislation in connection with this work.
You will need to be aware of your own limitations and confirm that you meet the relevant legal responsibilities for maintaining the duty of care under current animal health and welfare legislation.
This standard is suitable for anyone who provides food and water to animals under supervision and instruction.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
maintain hygiene and bio-security in accordance with workplace instructions, relevant legislation and organisational policy
carry out your work under supervision and instruction
comply with the relevant animal health and welfare and animal-related legislation and associated codes of practice
maintain the health and safety of yourself and all those involved in the activity, and the welfare of the animal, during the work
use relevant hand hygiene methods prior to providing food and water to animals
prepare and use equipment, utensils, materials and any personal protective equipment (PPE) required for the work, under supervision and instruction
clean the preparation area, utensils and equipment before and after use
prepare the required type and quantity of animal food, under supervision and according to instructions, in a way that minimises wastage
provide the required type and quantity of food to animals using relevant methods and utensils, under supervision and in accordance with instructions
provide the required quantity of water from the correct sources and systems under supervision and in accordance with instructions
provide animals with opportunities to express their natural feeding behaviour
maintain the safety and security of the animals when providing food and water
report any changes in the animal's feeding and drinking habits to the relevant person
dispose of any stale or unusable animal feed and any other waste safely and correctly in accordance with instructions, organisational practice and the relevant legislation
store equipment and utensils ready for use, safely and securely in the required place
maintain the records required by relevant legislation and organisational policy
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
the importance of completing the activity under supervision and workplace instruction
your responsibility under the relevant environmental and health and safety legislation, associated codes of practice and organisational policies
your responsibilities under the relevant animal health and welfare, and animal-related legislation and associated codes of practice
the importance of hygiene and bio-security when preparing and providing animal food and water and how this can be maintained
the required hand hygiene techniques for preparing food and water for animals
the equipment and utensils that are used in preparing and providing animal food and water and how they are used
how to prepare, use, maintain and store the equipment, utensils, materials and personal protective equipment (PPE) required for the work safely
the types of foods available for the animals you are working with and how they are prepared, including any particular precautions that should be taken
the importance of following the animal feeding plans under supervision and instruction
how to make sure the correct amount of food is prepared for each animal in accordance with the feeding plans
relevant legislation and associated codes of practice regarding the preparation of food for animals
the correct method of providing food for the animals concerned, under supervision and in accordance with instructions
why the correct sources of water and water systems should be used when providing water to animals under supervision and in accordance with instructions
the consequences of providing incorrectly preparing animal food and water
how to provide opportunities for animals to express their natural feeding behaviour
how to recognise changes in the feeding and drinking habits of the animals you are working with and the importance of reporting changes to the relevant person
how to maintain safety and security of yourself and the animals during the provision of food and water and why this important
the procedures for dealing with the different types of waste produced when providing food and water to animals
the records that need to be kept and the importance of completing them in accordance with relevant legislation and organisational policy