SAQA All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.
SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED UNIT STANDARD THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE: 

Implement environmental improvements to a site, facility, operation or process 
SAQA US ID UNIT STANDARD TITLE
123369  Implement environmental improvements to a site, facility, operation or process 
ORIGINATOR
SGB Environmental Sc/Mgt & Waste Mgt 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY
-  
FIELD SUBFIELD
Field 10 - Physical, Mathematical, Computer and Life Sciences Environmental Sciences 
ABET BAND UNIT STANDARD TYPE PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL CREDITS
Undefined  Regular  Level 4  NQF Level 04  16 
REGISTRATION STATUS REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE SAQA DECISION NUMBER
Passed the End Date -
Status was "Reregistered" 		 2018-07-01  2023-06-30  SAQA 06120/18 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2026-06-30   2029-06-30  

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.  

This unit standard does not replace any other unit standard and is not replaced by any other unit standard. 

PURPOSE OF THE UNIT STANDARD 
South Africa is a signatory to SADC Treaty and Agenda 21 which commit the government to the development of environmental education and training programmes through supporting educational policy development. This Unit Standard is directly related to fulfilling the national need to implement sound environmental practice.

The Unit Standard equips learners with the technical and organizational elements required to ensure occupational competence, while also supporting the development of skills and knowledge that will enable the individual to perform the supervisory role effectively and with confidence. This Unit Standard will target learners already in the work place or aspiring to enter a work place that requires the following competencies:
  • The salvaging or handling of waste material on a mine (recognised positions not covered by mining qualifications).
  • The maintenance of grounds and facilities, or dealing with waste at power stations (recognised positions not covered by electrical qualifications).
  • Site rehabilitation or preparation (recognised positions not covered by construction qualifications).
  • The environmental management and waste management sectors.
  • Local government environmental practice.
  • Community initiatives with an environmental focus.

    The competent learner in the field of environmental science, environmental management and waste management, will be able to:
  • Identify opportunities for environmental improvements to a site, facility, operation or process.
  • Plan, implement and evaluate improvements.
  • Contribute to the maintenance of standards and the general upkeep and protection of the facility or site.
  • Apply sound technical knowledge relevant to own site, facility, operation or process.
  • Apply sound understanding of relevant environmental practice within own sphere of responsibility.

    Learners will also know and understand:
  • The regulatory framework.
  • The concept of continuous improvement.
  • The organisational structures relevant to own area of responsibility.
  • The technology relevant to own site, facility, operation or process.

    Learners can be assessed against this unit standard in the context of any activity which is related to managing environmental issues, such as:
  • Waste management related activities, eg:

    > Materials recovery and buy back centres.
    > Waste reception.
    > Landfill operations.
  • Water course cleaning, care and maintenance.
  • Care of public places, open areas, cultual and natural heritage sites.
  • Maintenance of parks and sports fields.
  • Involvement in community projects and job creation schemes relating to environmental practice.
  • General industrial or extraction, ie activities with an environmental care or improvement focus. 
    		•

    LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
    It is assumed that learners are competent in:
  • Communication at Level NQF Level 3.
  • Mathematical Literacy at NQF Level 3. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD RANGE 
    The skills, knowledge and values described in this unit standard are applicable to normal ongoing improvements in the course of day-to-day workplace activities. Evidence must be provided of a range of such interventions implemented over a period of time.

    Where the unit standard refers to an action plan or intervention in the singular for the sake of simplicity of expression, it should be understood that this refers in practice to several such plans or interventions, each addressing a different problem.

    Implementing improvements includes identifying and addressing a particular deviation or deviations and implementing and evaluating corrective actions or procedures.

    Technical knowledge and problems include issues of safety, health, the environment and quality as well as engineering, mechanics, equipment, materials, operations and processes.

    The scope and level of this unit standard is indicated by range statements related to the Specific Outcomes. 

    Specific Outcomes and Assessment Criteria: 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 1 
    Review information and identify environmental and technical problems and opportunities for improvement. 
    OUTCOME RANGE 
    Information includes but is not limited to audit and inspection reports, statutory documentation, monitoring data, permit documentation, operational records, technical drawings, site development plans. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    Routine operational records and other relevant information and data are reviewed and key issues extracted. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    Inspection and audit findings are reviewed and key issues extracted. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    Areas requiring improvement are listed and prioritised. 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 2 
    Determine solutions to environmental and technical problems and issues in the workplace. 
    OUTCOME RANGE 
    Determine solutions includes taking decisions on actions to effect improvements. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    Operations are monitored for problems, bottlenecks or incidents. 
    ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE 
    Monitor includes routine inspections and investigations.
     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    The root causes of the problems are identified using appropriate problem-solving tools. 
    ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE 
    Methods of problem solving: e.g. Ishikawa (fishbone) diagrams; 8-D TOPS (8 discipline tools of problem solving), root cause analysis, etc.
     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    Operational and environmental management principles and practices and their application are understood as they relate to the learner's area ofresponsibility. 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 3 
    Develop and implement an action plan to introduce a technical and/or environmental improvement. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    The action plan addresses the root causes. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    The action plan identifies objectives, resources, time lines, success indicators and means of evaluating the success indicators. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    Personnel involved in the implementation are briefed and prepared. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4 
    Resources required for the implementation of the action plan are obtained and prepared. 
    ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE 
    Resources include costing, human resources, technical resources, materials.
     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 5 
    Actions are taken according to plan. 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 4 
    Evaluate the impact of the improvement. 
    OUTCOME RANGE 
    Improvement may refer to improvements, if applicable. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    The evaluation process is appropriate for the types of success indicators selected. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    The implementation of the action plan and the outcomes are evaluated. 
    ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE 
    Evaluation includes comparing outcomes to objectives.
     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    Findings are recorded and explained. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4 
    The on-going effect of the improvement is monitored. 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 5 
    Demonstrate understanding of environmental management principles and practices and their application within own area of responsibility. 
    OUTCOME RANGE 
    This refers to issues related to cleaner procurement, cleaner production and consumption and other environmental improvement concepts and measures. Concepts and measures relate to the learner's area of responsibility. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    The objectives of operational activities are explained in terms of environmental improvement concepts. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    The purpose of environmental improvement is explained with reference to the learner's context. 


    UNIT STANDARD ACCREDITATION AND MODERATION OPTIONS 
  • Assessment of learner achievements takes place at providers accredited by a relevant ETQA (RSA, 1998b) for the provision of programs that result in the outcomes specified for this unit standard.
  • Anyone assessing a learner against this unit standard must be registered as an assessor with a relevant ETQA.
  • Any institution offering learning that will enable achievement of this unit standard must be accredited as a provider with a relevant ETQA.
  • The relevant ETQA according to the moderation guidelines and the agreed ETQA procedures will oversee moderation of assessment and is responsible for moderation of learner achievements of learners who meet the requirements of this unit standard. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD ESSENTIAL EMBEDDED KNOWLEDGE 
  • Names & functions of:

    > Components of the environment and their interrelationships.
    > Natural resources, waste, materials, energy, and related principles, concepts and legislative requirements.
    > Environmental improvement concepts.
    > Equipment and its operation and related concepts and legislative requirements.
    > Sources of information.
    > Problem solving tools.
    > Relevant terminology.
  • Purpose of:

    > Implementing environmental improvements in own area of responsibility.
    > Planning and evaluating the effectiveness of the plan.
    > Evaluating the impact of the improvements on the environment.
    > Selecting the appropriate evaluation process.
    > Lean work practices and related concepts and principles that protect health and the environment, conserve resources (natural, human, time, financial, etc), minimise waste, prevent pollution, optimise the use of equipment.
    > Environmental management systems, plans or programmes.
    > Compliance with regulatory framework.
    > Effective communication with personnel.
  • Attributes, descriptions, characteristics & properties:

    > Components of the environment and their inter-relationships.
    > Properties and characteristics of natural resources, waste, materials, energy, and related principles, concepts and legislative requirements.
    > Environmental improvement concepts.
    > Environmental management systems, plans or programmes.
    > Lean work methods that protect health and the environment, conserve resources (eg natural, human, time or financial resources, etc), minimise waste, prevent or reduce pollution and other forms of environmental damage, optimise the use of equipment.
    > Equipment and its operation and related concepts.
    > Effective communication with personnel.
    > Problem solving tools.
  • Processes and events:

    > Problem solving.
    > Identifying and prioritising opportunities for environmental improvements.
    > Developing, implementing and evaluating action plans to implement improvements.
    > Evaluating the impact of environmental improvements.
  • Causes and effects, implications of:

    > Compliance/non-compliance with the regulatory framework.
    > Inadequate planning.
    > Failure to adhere to planned implementation process.
    > Inadequate briefing of personnel involved in implementation of plan.
    > Inadequate allocation or preparation of resources.
    > Impact of national and international standards on operational activities in own area of responsibility.
    > Organisational requirements.
    > Implications of not using resources wisely, implications of pollution, poorly managed waste, using non-renewable resources, failure to work safely, failure to work efficiently, failure to meet standards, failure to meet customer needs, etc.
    > Implications of not communicating effectively with relevant personnel.
    > Benefits of lean work practices, pro-active planning and continual improvement.
  • Procedures and techniques:

    > For identifying and prioritising areas for improvement.
    > For applying lean work practices, for applying work methods that avoid damage to the environment, for dealing with potential and actual damage to the environment.
    > For handling, processing and disposing of waste, for handling materials and resources, for operating equipment.
    > For developing, implementing and evaluating action plans.
    > For evaluating the impact of the improvements.
  • Sensory cues:

    > Related to recognising deviations (related to environmental components, work practices, resources, materials, equipment, etc) and identifying opportunities for improvements.
    > Related to evaluating the implementation of the action plan.
    > Related to evaluating the impact of the improvements.
  • Regulations, legislation, agreements, policies, standards:

    > The regulatory framework.
    > Relevant legislation related to health, safety and the environment and the specific site or nature of the operations.
    > Quality standards.
    > Applicable organisational policies and standards.
  • Theory: rules, principles, laws:

    > Environmental ethics.
    > Relevant environmental science and principles.
    > Environmental management principles.
    > Principles of continuous improvement.
    > Science and technology relevant to own site, facility, operation or process.
    > Theory and principles related to safety, health, the environment and quality as well as engineering, mechanics, equipment, materials, operations and processes (eg using, transporting, processing, storing and caring for environmentally sensitive materials, conserving resources and using them wisely, minimising waste and pollution, re-using and recycling materials, cleaner production, lean production).
    > Basic understanding of the concept of cost effectiveness.
  • Categories:
    > Include but are not limited to improvements, environmental improvement concepts, resources, materials, equipment waste.
  • Relationships, systems:

    > The impact of the regulatory framework on operational activities within own area of responsibility.
    > The application of relevant environmental improvement concepts within own area of responsibility.
    > The role of continuous improvement in meeting customer and organisational expectations and requirements. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME 
    N/A 

    UNIT STANDARD LINKAGES 
    N/A 


    Critical Cross-field Outcomes (CCFO): 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO IDENTIFYING 
    Learners identify and solve problems when they use appropriate problem-solving tools to identify causes of problems or deviations and take corrective action. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO WORKING 
    Learners work effectively with others when they interact with relevant personnel in implementing action plans to effect improvements. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO ORGANISING 
    Learners organise and manage themselves and their activities by developing and implementing the action, obtaining and preparing resources required for the implementation of the action plan. 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO COLLECTING 
    Learners Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information when they:
  • Review inspection and audit findings and extract key issues.
  • Review data and information and identify and prioritise environmental problems and opportunities for improvement. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO COMMUNICATING 
    Learners Communicate effectively when they:
  • Brief personnel involved in the implementation of action plans.
  • Record and explain evaluation findings. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO SCIENCE 
    Learners use science and technology effectively and critically when they:
  • Apply knowledge of the components of the environment and their interactions and of environmental management principles to identify deviations; to prioritise, plan and implement improvements; and to evaluate the impact of the improvements. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO DEMONSTRATING 
    Learners demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems when they:
  • Describe the impact of the regulatory framework on operational activities within own area of responsibility.
  • Describe the application of relevant environmental improvement concepts within own area of responsibility. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD ASSESSOR CRITERIA 
    N/A 

    REREGISTRATION HISTORY 
    As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this unit standard was Reregistered in 2012; 2015. 

    UNIT STANDARD NOTES 
    Notes to assessors:

    Assessors should keep the following principles in mind when designing and conducting assessments against this unit standard:
  • Focus the assessment activities on gathering evidence in terms of the main outcome expressed in the title to ensure assessment is integrated rather than fragmented. Remember we want to declare the person competent in terms of the title. Where assessment at title level is unmanageable, then focus assessment around each specific outcome, or groups of specific outcomes.
  • Make sure evidence is gathered across the entire range, wherever it applies. Assessment activities should be as close to the real performance as possible, and where simulations or role-plays are used, there should be supporting evidence to show the learner is able to perform in the real situation.
  • Do not focus the assessment activities on each assessment criterion. Rather make sure the assessment activities focus on outcomes and are sufficient to enable evidence to be gathered around all the assessment criteria.
  • The assessment criteria provide the specifications against which assessment judgements should be made. In most cases, knowledge can be inferred from the quality of the performances, but in other cases, knowledge and understanding will have to be tested through questioning techniques. Where this is required, there will be assessment criteria to specify the standard required.
  • The task of the assessor is to gather sufficient evidence, of the prescribed type and quality, as specified in this unit standard, that the learner can achieve the outcomes again and again and again. This means assessors will have to judge how many repeat performances are required before they believe the performance is reproducible.
  • All assessments should be conducted in line with the following well documented principles of assessment: appropriateness, fairness, manageability, integration into work or learning, validity, direct, authentic, sufficient, systematic, open and consistent. 
    		•

    QUALIFICATIONS UTILISING THIS UNIT STANDARD: 
      ID QUALIFICATION TITLE PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL STATUS END DATE PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QA FUNCTIONARY
    Core  50309   Further Education and Training Certificate: Environmental Practice  Level 4  NQF Level 04  Passed the End Date -
    Status was "Reregistered"     		 2023-06-30  LG SETA 
    Elective  58779   Further Education and Training Certificate: Production Technology  Level 4  NQF Level 04  Passed the End Date -
    Status was "Reregistered"     		 2023-06-30  MERSETA 


    PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS UNIT STANDARD: 
    This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.
     
    1. A4 Consultancy CC 
    2. AVAX SA 481 CC. T/A Mandisa Development Services 
    3. Edutraining Business College 
    4. Giamanje TVET College 
    5. Growth Management Consulting 
    6. IQ Skills Academy (PTY) LTD. 
    7. Jabukile Consultancy 
    8. Jobafrik Consulting 
    9. Josmap Training Institute 
    10. Kay Beez Development Projects 
    11. Lewerb Holdings (PTY) Ltd 
    12. Makhuba Development Projects CC 
    13. Mamuhle Academy 
    14. Mcebo Technologies 
    15. Mintirho Development Services 
    16. Mortarboard Training Solutions 
    17. Ndwamato Training Solutions (Pty) Ltd 
    18. Nemalale Eagles Consultancy CC 
    19. Nkinane Trading Enterprise 
    20. Petra Institute of Development 
    21. PFIM Trading (Pty) Ltd 
    22. PMA Holdings (PTY ) LTD. 
    23. Progressive School of Business and Engineering (Pty) 
    24. PTDEV (Pty) Ltd 
    25. Reflections Development Institute 
    26. Siza Nesu Training and Consultants 
    27. South West Gauteng College - Central Office 
    28. Starplex 489 cc 
    29. Tembe Service Providers 
    30. Thando Consulting Services 
    31. Timothy Fasheun Group Enviromentors (Pty) Ltd 
    32. TLD Consulting 
    33. Transafric Consulting Pty Ltd 
    34. Tshepang Consulting & Project 
    35. Tshwane Training Institute (PTY) LTD. 
    36. Umbuso Training Services 
    37. Umqondo Consultancy 
    38. University of Venda 
    39. Ursivox Interactive Systems 
    40. Vhutshilo Health And Training Organisation 
    41. Wildlife and Enviroment Society of South Africa 


    All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.