FBPOPR2082 — Operate a mixing or blending process

Elements & performance criteria

Performance evidence

• There must be evidence that the individual has operated a mixing or blending process to produce at least one blended product to meet specifications, including:
• conducting pre-start checks, including:
• inspecting equipment condition to identify any signs of wear
• selecting appropriate settings and/or related parameters
• cancelling isolation or lock-outs as required
• confirming that equipment is clean and correctly configured for processing requirements
• positioning sensors and controls correctly
• ensuring any scheduled maintenance has been carried out
• confirming that all safety guards are in place and operational
• adding/loading materials in correct quantities and sequence, including monitoring automatic ingredient addition and/or manual addition
• applying relevant product safety practices
• following safe work procedures
• addressing routine processing issues

Knowledge evidence

• purpose and basic principles of preparing mixes and blends, including the characteristics and basic function of ingredients and additives used, method and sequence of ingredient addition required to achieve required blend characteristics and, where relevant, the purpose of conditioning, maturation or holding stages required prior to further processing of the mix
• specific gravity and bulk density as appropriate for ingredients used
• basic operating principles of mixing/blending equipment, including: main equipment components, status and purpose of guards, equipment operating capacities and applications, the purpose and location of sensors and related feedback instrumentation
• awareness of calibration schedules for scales and related weighing/measuring equipment
• services required, and action to take if services are not available
• the flow of the mixing process and the effect of mix preparation on downstream processes
• ingredient-handling requirements and shelf-life or coding
• quality characteristics required of ingredients and additives and their effect on mixing process performance, including methods used to condition or prepare ingredients prior to addition
• methods used to monitor the blending or mixing process, including inspecting, measuring and testing, by the process
• inspection or test points (control points) in the process and the related procedures and recording requirements, including: flow rates, ingredient/additive addition sequence, times/temperatures and agitator speeds, required characteristics of blend, including viscosity, appearance and temperature, required attributes of the mixed or blended output, including chemical, texture and flavour profiles as required
• the effect of the mixing or blending parameters, including temperature and length of mix time on mixing outcome
• contamination/cross-contamination and relevant product safety risks associated with the process, and related control measures, including product compatibility and cross-contamination risks and associated cleaning requirements, as well as common allergens used in mixes prepared
• operating requirements and parameters, and corrective action required when operation is outside specified operating parameters
• typical equipment faults and related causes, including signs and symptoms of faulty equipment, and early warning signs of potential problems
• common causes of variation, and corrective action required
• health and safety hazards and controls relevant to the mixing and blending process
• requirements of different shutdowns as appropriate to the blending or mixing process and workplace production requirements, including emergency and routine shutdowns, and procedures to follow in the event of a power outage
• isolation, lock-out and tag-out procedures and responsibilities relevant to the mixing and blending process
• procedures and responsibility for reporting production and performance information
• environmental issues and controls relevant to the mixing or blending process, including waste or rework collection and handling procedures related to the process
• basic operating principles of process control, where relevant, including the relationship between control panels and systems and the physical equipment
• characteristics of solutions, suspensions and emulsions for the mixing and blending process
• cleaning and sanitisation procedures for mixing or blending equipment
• recording procedures to ensure traceability of product

Foundation skills

• Reading: Interpret workplace and standard operating procedures relevant to work task Interpret production requirements
• Writing: Record processing data using digital and/or paper-based formats Accurately label mixes
• Numeracy: Weigh (mg, g, kg) and measure (ml, L) ingredients Monitor and interpret production and process control indicators and data Monitor supply and flow of materials to and from the process

Unit content sourced from training.gov.au — © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Auditori is not affiliated with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Questions about assessing FBPOPR2082