Specialist Laboratory Attendant

Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine•Limerick, PA

10d•Onsite

About The Position

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is at the forefront of these exciting developments as it implements its mission to ‘to lead, enable and regulate the sector in a way that optimises its contribution to social, economic, and environmental sustainability, ensuring food safety, public health and animal health and welfare’. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) has an embedded laboratory service comprising a central laboratory complex at Backweston, a network of regional laboratories in 5 locations (Cork, Limerick, Athlone, Kilkenny, and Sligo) and a research farm facility. DAFM laboratories have an overall staff compliment of approximately 300 persons engaged in work relating to animal health, food safety and plant and environmental sciences. The laboratories are currently undergoing a significant transformation underpinned by the vision statement, “Scientific Excellence – Safeguarding and Enhancing Public, Animal and Plant Health and our Environment”. The role of the Laboratory Attendant (Specialist DAFM) includes the provision of general support services within the laboratories across a wide range of functions. The sample list of duties associated with the role below is not exhaustive and is intended to outline the general duties appropriate to this grade, which a jobholder may be required to perform. The duties and responsibilities attaching to the role may vary from time to time, without changing the general character of the duties or level of responsibilities entailed. The job holder may therefore be required to perform duties appropriate to the role, other than those detailed below, as requested by their line manager. In addition to general duties, the role involves specialised work such as receiving and, in some cases, preparing certain samples, the handling and disposal of carcases in the post-mortem rooms and carrying out duties within the high-level bio-containment laboratory. The Department seeks to employ a Specialist Laboratory Attendant. The post will be located at the Regional Veterinary Laboratory Limerick. Following an assessment process, candidates who achieve the qualifying standard will be placed on an Order of Merit from which one appointment will be made. The post will be offered to the candidate ranked first and, if refused, to the remaining candidates in sequence until the post is filled. While it is anticipated that only one appointment will be made as a result of this competition, the Order of Merit will remain in place for a period of up to two years from the date of the first appointment, or until exhausted, and may be used to fill further vacancies in other DAFM Laboratories , if any, that may arise during that period.

Requirements

Good command of written and spoken English and basic numeracy
IT skills appropriate to the role – familiarity with standard IT processes like the use of word processing, email and spreadsheets and willingness to learn further skills
An aptitude for manual dexterity, clean work, maintaining an organized & tidy workplace
Ability to cope with pressure, change and flexible work practices
Good interpersonal skills for a customer-facing role which includes dealing with a variety of civil service grades as well as animal keepers
A clean full Irish driving license (at date of job offer)

Nice To Haves

At least one year’s experience in a relevant workplace e.g., butchering, abattoir, or food processing operation
Advanced/specialist driving skills e.g., trailer licence, forklift/teleporter licence
Experience of working in a team
Experience in dealing with customers and understanding of Irish farm systems, terminology and seasonal patterns
Background/knowledge of farming activities

Responsibilities

Maintaining a good standard of post-mortem room cleanliness and tidiness; maintaining cleaning & sharpening knives, instruments, and post-mortem equipment; restocking consumables
Ensuring traceability and assisting colleagues with carrying out tasks such as sample log-in to LIMs (Laboratory Information Management System) or other recording systems, preliminary processing, labelling, distribution, and transport of samples (including formalin-fixed samples) within and external to the laboratory, sorting, logging, and delivering post, including posted samples as appropriate to the role
Ensuring the maintenance of safe and bio secure working areas and practices by cleaning and disinfection and the management of carcass waste, general and clinical waste, and liquid effluent. This includes the operation of autoclave systems and/or fumigation systems to dispose of waste or to facilitate transfer of materials in and out of containment, and maintenance of records of these systems where required
Ensuring availability and use of appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Carrying out activities in compliance with regulations including Health and Safety, transport of laboratory materials (ADR, IATA, HAZCHEM standards) where required
Responsibility for the glassware washing and sterilization regime within the laboratory and supporting a laundry service via collection and return of laundry within the laboratory
Opening and closing facilities where required/appropriate
Assist in the preparation of media and reagents as appropriate to the role
Operation of laboratory equipment and machinery as appropriate to the role
General laboratory housekeeping, filing, managing logistics, and monitoring of equipment
Technical photography in support of laboratory activities including retention and cataloguing of images locally
Assisting with on- or off-campus collection, handling, transportation and delivery of carcasses or samples
Monitoring and upkeep of stores, stocks and equipment including exotic disease investigation kits
Attend and assist in field investigations where required
Assisting in containment laboratory programmed and reactive maintenance activities as required
Assisting in operations within containment laboratories including cleaning, disinfection, laundry, stocks, and observation of all biosecurity protocols
Other laboratory supports and activities as appropriate to the role
Assisting pathologists in conducting post-mortem examinations, receiving, storing, weighing, measuring, and preparing animal carcasses for post-mortem examination including dissection, organ removal and sampling of carcasses under supervision of pathologist
Meeting farmers and other animal owners and assisting with off-loading of animal carcases and handling of live animals
Liaison with OPW/site facilities and external contractors to facilitate site and equipment maintenance
Operation of teleporter (where required – location specific)
Operation of post-mortem equipment and machinery as appropriate to the role
Ensuring availability, maintenance, and use of appropriate PPE. This may include providing laundry services within the PM Room
General cleaning/tidying of laboratory buildings and surrounding yards
Other reasonable duties appropriate to the grade, as requested by their line managers