Assisting in the planning of engineering activities
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to assist in the planning of engineering activities, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be expected to support colleagues in the production of plans for a range of engineering activities, such as component/product manufacturing, assembly activities, installation, material processing and finishing, testing and trialling, commissioning, planned maintenance, lifting, moving and transporting of goods or materials, and plans for capability studies or equipment replacement programs.
You will assist in establishing the activities that must be carried out, and the methods and resources to be used, and you will contribute to creating a detailed plan of operation. You will be required to complete your work within agreed timescales whilst ensuring that the activities you are responsible for conform to organisational and safety requirements.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the planning activities undertaken, and to report any problems with the planning activities that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will be expected to work to instructions, either alone or in conjunction with others, taking personal responsibility for your own actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out.
Your underpinning knowledge will be sufficient to provide a sound basis for your work, and will enable you to adopt an informed approach to the techniques and procedures used when planning engineering activities. You will have an understanding of the engineering activities being planned, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for assisting in the planning process to the required standard.
You will be aware of any health, safety and environmental requirements applicable to the activities being planned. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout, and will understand the responsibility you owe to yourself and others in the workplace.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
P1 collect the information and documentation required to assist in the planning of engineering activities
P2 work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
P3 identify the operations to be carried out and determine their sequence
P4 establish which methods are required and what resources are to be used
P5 identify any special requirements and incorporate them in the plan
P6 estimate timescales required
P7 prepare and record the plan
P8 inform the appropriate people when the plan is completed
P9 deal with problems within your control and report those that cannot be solved
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
K1 how to work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
K2 how to obtain information on the engineering requirements, and the type of information that is available
K3 how to access and use the appropriate information and documentation systems
K4 the types of information that should be included in the engineering plans
K5 how to extract information from drawings, documents and related specifications
K6 the materials, formats, codes and conventions that are used in preparing the plans
K7 the factors to be taken into account when preparing the plans, especially those covering working conditions and safety
K8 the main types of resource involved with different kinds of engineering activity
K9 the normal timescales for carrying out specific engineering activities, and how and why they vary
K10 the products (or assets) involved in the activity being planned, and their availability
K11 the development of the engineering plans
K12 how to prepare the plans
K13 the control procedure for ensuring that the plans are maintained up to date
K14 the procedures for changing the plans, and why control procedures are used
K15 the importance of maintaining records; what needs to be recorded, and where records are kept
K16 why contingency plans need to be drawn up
K17 the types of problem that can occur during the planning activities
K18 the extent of your own responsibility and to whom you should report if you have problems that you cannot resolve
Scope/range
Scope Performance
- Carry out all of the following whilst assisting with the production of the engineering plans:
- use the correct issue of company information
- collect relevant information on the engineering requirements, operations, methods and resources
- check the availability of resources required
- ensure that health and safety regulations and safe working practices are taken into account
- ensure that the influence of working conditions is recognised and included in the plans
- resolve any issues as they occur, within your level of responsibility
- produce the engineering plans in the appropriate formats
- Assist in producing engineering plans for one of the following:
- drawing/design activities (such as mechanical, electrical/electronic, motor vehicle, aerospace, marine)
- manufacturing activities (such as machining, detail fitting, fabrication of components, pressing)
- material processing activities (such as heat treatment, casting, injection moulding, purification)
- composite manufacture (such as wet lay-up, pre-preg laminating, resin infusion, blow moulding)
- finishing activities (such as stripping finishes, painting, plating, anodising, veneering, lacquering)
- assembly activities (such as mechanical, structural, fluid power, electrical/electronic, woodworking)
- installation activities (such as mechanical, electrical/electronic, avionic, structural, environmental equipment)
- plant and equipment (such as site preparation, plant layout, equipment changeover, equipment replacement)
- equipment capability studies/performance measurement
- movement of materials, components or finished goods
- engineering safety audits or risk assessments
- business improvement activities
- quality control/quality assurance
- maintenance activities
- modification and repair activities
- commissioning/decommissioning
- testing and trialling
- research and development
- engineering support services
- Assist in preparing plans that include details for six of the following:
- description of the activities to be carried out
- the sequence in which the activities will take place
- the documentation to be used (such as drawings, specifications, quality assurance, surveys)
- the people required who have the necessary skills and knowledge
- the raw materials required (such as type of material, form of material, amount of material)
- consumable materials required (such as welding accessories, masking mediums, lubricants)
- bought-in standard components (such as bearings, electrical or electronic components, fluid power components, mechanical fasteners)
- equipment required (such as hand tools, power tools, machinery, lifting and handling equipment)
- measuring or test equipment (such as mechanical measuring, electrical measuring)
- any outside support services required (such as material treatments, specialist lifting and moving equipment)
- any special environmental/legislative requirements that must be met
- special/specific safety equipment required (such as fume extraction, fire equipment)
- space required
- financial considerations
- the timescales to be met
- utilities required
- Ensure that plans include any relevant regulations, standards and guidelines from all of the following, as appropriate:
- organisational guidelines and codes of practice
- customer standards and requirements
- equipment manufacturer's operating specification/range
- BS and/or ISO standards
- health, safety and environmental requirements
- recognised compliance agency/body's standards
- Record and present the plans to the appropriate people, using one of the following methods:
- specific organisational documentation
- written or typed report
- verbal report