Working efficiently and effectively in engineering
Overview
This standard identifies the competencies you need to work efficiently and effectively in the engineering workplace, in accordance with approved procedures and practices. Prior to undertaking the engineering activity, you will be required to carry out all necessary preparations within the scope of your responsibility. This may include preparing the work area and ensuring that it is in a safe condition to carry out the intended activities, ensuring you have the appropriate job specifications and instructions, and ensuring that any tools, equipment, materials and other resources required are available and in a safe and usable condition.
On completion of the engineering activity, you will be required to return your immediate work area to an acceptable condition before recommencing further work requirements. This may involve placing completed work in the correct location, returning and/or storing any tools and equipment in the correct area, identifying any waste and/or scrapped materials and arranging for their disposal, and reporting any defects or damage to tools and equipment used.
In order to be efficient and effective in the workplace, you will also be required to demonstrate that you can create and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and line management. You will be expected to review objectives and targets for your personal development and make recommendations and communicate any opportunities for improvements that could be made to working practises and procedures.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with health and safety requirements, organisational policy and procedures for the engineering activities undertaken, and to report any problems with the activities, tools or equipment that you cannot personally resolve, or are outside your permitted, authority to the relevant people. You will be expected to take personal responsibility for your own actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- access and accurately interpret all relevant work instructions and information
- work safely at all times and in accordance with all relevant legislation, guidelines, policies, procedures and protocols
- ensure you are prepared to carry out the work safely in accordance with organisational requirements
- deal promptly and effectively with any problems within your control and report those which cannot be solved
- identify and minimise hazards and risk in the workplace
- complete work activities safely in accordance with organisational requirements
- complete and store all relevant documentation in accordance with organisational requirements
- prepare the work area to carry out the engineering activity
- obtain all necessary consumables, tools or equipment and check that they are in a safe and usable condition
- ensure finished products or resources are stored in the appropriate location on completion of the activities
- contribute to and communicate opportunities for improvements to working practises, processes and/or procedures
- develop and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and others
- review personal development and training as appropriate to the job role
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the current legislation, guidelines, policies, procedures and protocols which are relevant to your work practice and to which you must adhere
- the scope and limitations of your own competence, responsibilities and accountability as it applies to your job role
- how to access and interpret all relevant work instructions and information
- specific procedures for reporting issues which are beyond your competence, responsibilities and accountability
- the duty to report any acts or omissions that could be unsafe/detrimental to you or others
- the hazards and risks which may arise during the execution of your work role and how you can minimise these
- the range of work activities for which you are responsible
- how to complete and safely store all relevant documentation in accordance with organisational requirements
- the correct use of any equipment and PPE to protect the health and safety of you and your colleagues
- the planning and preparation required to carry out the engineering activity
- the procedure for ensuring that all documentation relating to the work being carried out is available and current, prior to starting the activity
- the procedure that should be followed if documentation received is incomplete and/or incorrect
- the procedure for ensuring all tools and equipment are available and safe to use prior to undertaking the activity, and suitable for the intended purpose
- the checks to be carried out to ensure tools and equipment are in full working order, prior to undertaking the activity
- the action that should be taken if tools and equipment are not in full working order
- the checks to be carried out to ensure all materials and resources required are correct and complete, prior to undertaking the activity
- the action that should be taken if materials/resources do not meet the requirements of the activity
- the information and/or documentation require to confirm with others that the activity has been completed
- the measures that can be put into place to reduce waste
- how waste materials and/or products are transferred, stored and disposed of
- where tools and equipment should be stored and located and the importance of returning all tools and documentation to their designated areas on completion of work activities
- the importance of taking responsibility for identifying and suggesting improvements to working practices
- the procedures for making suggestions for improvements
- what the benefits are to you and the organisation if improvements can be identified and implemented
- the importance of developing and maintaining effective working relationships within the workplace
- the procedures to deal with and report any problems that can affect working relationships
- the difficulties that can occur in working relationships and how to resolve them
- why it is important to be open, honest and report any errors or mistakes
- the regulations that affect how you should be treated at work
- the importance of respect, diversity and inclusion in the workplace
- the benefits of continuous personal development and the training opportunities that are available to you in the workplace
- the importance of regularly reviewing your training and development
- the need to adhere to timescales set for work, whilst maintaining appropriate quality standards, and the implications if these are not kept
- the reason for informing others of the activities which may have an impact on their work
- when to act on your own initiative and when to seek help and advice from others
- the importance of leaving the work area in a safe condition on completion of the work activities
Scope/range
1. Prepare to carry out the work activity, ensuring all of the following, as applicable to the work to be undertaken:the work area is free from hazards and suitably prepared for the activities to be undertakenany required safety procedures are implementedany necessary personal protection equipment (PPE) is obtained and is in a usable conditiontools and equipment required are obtained and checked that they are in a safe and useable conditionall necessary drawings, specifications and associated documentation is obtainedwork instructions and information are obtained and understoodthe correct materials, components or resources are obtainedappropriate authorisation to carry out the work is obtained
2. Complete work activities, to include all of the following as applicable to the work undertaken:returning tools and equipment to the designated locationreturning drawings and work instructions to the designated locationdisposing of waste materials in line with organisational and environmental requirementscompleting all necessary documentation accurately in accordance with organisational requirementsidentifying, where appropriate, any unusable tools, equipment, components or other resourcesstorage arrangements for work are appropriateensuring the work area is left in a clean, tidy and safe condition
3. Communicate opportunities for improvements to working practises, processes and/or procedures for two of the following:working practicesworking methodswasteenergy utilisationtimecostequipment performance or conditionengineering designsqualitysafetytools and equipmentsupplier relationshipscommunicationcustomer servicetraining and developmentteamworkother specific opportunity
4. Identify and deal with problems affecting the work activity, to include two of the following:materialsjob specificationtimescalestools and equipmentqualitysafetydrawingspeoplework activities or proceduresother (to be specified)
5. Maintain effective working relationships, to include two of the following:colleagues within own working group line managementpeople outside your normal working group senior management external contacts
6. Review personal development and training objectives to include one of the following:dual or multi-skilling understanding of company working practices, procedures, plans and policiestraining on new equipment/technology increased responsibilityenvironmental impactsusing feedback and advice to improve your personal development and performance objectivesproviding information about your work progress and expectations towards identified objectivescontribute to improvements on work processescontinued professional development (CPD) activitiesadaptable to organisational change other specific requirements