Improve the quality and reliability of activities in life sciences and related industries
Overview
This standard is about improving the quality and reliability of activities in
the workplace. You will be expected to identify areas and methods
to achieve improvement(s) in specific tasks you are involved in. You
will monitor any changes to ensure that the expected improvements
are achieved. You will be expected to initiate and complete tasks and
procedures as well as exercise autonomy and judgement within
specified parameters. You will also be aware of the limits of your
authority and the procedures to follow if you need help or advice.
Many industries operate to rigorous quality systems. Quality assurance is
key to many companies, but striving to enhance quality and reliability can
make a substantial contribution. It is often the staff, at operational level
who have the knowledge and understanding to suggest improvements.
Doing this within company guidelines will be beneficial to the organisation.
You will comply with organisational policy and procedures for the activities
undertaken. You will be expected to suggest improvements, where you see
that they would be beneficial to the company. You are not expected to have
overall responsibility for the quality systems within the organisation.
Who this standard is for
The standard is recommended for more experienced laboratory staff
possibly who are about to complete an apprenticeship.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
P1 ensure that your work is carried out in accordance with workplace procedures
P2 monitor activities at intervals in order to identify potential improvements in
working practices or the work area
P3 obtain views, when appropriate, of relevant people on potential improvements
to the working practices or the work area
P4 agree plans for improvements and timescales with relevant people in
sufficient detail to allow effective planning
P5 identify any considerations which may affect the implementation of potential
improvements
P6 make recommendations for improvements to working practices or the work
area which are consistent with the objectives of your team and your
organisation
P7 monitor the implementation of improvements to identify any problems and take
appropriate action
P8 evaluate the effectiveness of the improvement and communicate the required
information about the work done, to authorised people, in accordance with
departmental and organisational procedures
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
K1 the health and safety requirements of the area in which you are carrying out
the activities
K2 the legal and regulatory frameworks within which you are working and the
implications of failing to comply with either
K3 the limits of your own authority and to whom you should report if you
have problems that you cannot resolve
K4 the organisational procedures for determining when and how quality assurance
activities should be undertaken
K5 the processes and specifications for the activity being quality assured
K6 how to obtain the quality criteria that could be used for the different types
processes
K7 the current quality assurance methods that are in use
K8 the people who should be involved in the quality assurance process
K9 the impact that quality assurance methods have on the organisation
K10 the people who require information on quality assurance, and the
procedures for informing them
K11 how to make recommendations for improvement
K12 how to ensure that the recommendations are consistent with objectives of your
team and/or your workplace
K13 the methods that can be used to implement the improvements
K14 how to plan and agree appropriate timescales for improvements
K15 how to identify problems and the actions that are appropriate to take in the
event of them
K16 how to evaluate and monitor improvements
K17 how to ensure that quality improvement recommendations are followed up
K18 the importance of making sure that all information used is accurate
K19 the document control and reporting procedures that should be used