OHI/OSP/EXCAV_METHOD

OHI Telecommunications Co. LLC

INSTALLATION OF FIBER OPTIC CABLE

A Submitted with offer Somasekar Anantharaj 15/08/201

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Rev Description Prepared Approved Date

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OHI Telecommunications Co. LLC

INDEX

Contents
1 SCOPE............................................................................................................................3

2 APPLICABILITY.........................................................................................................3

3 HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENT PLAN......................................................3

4 EQUIPMENT & TOOLS.............................................................................................3

5 LOCATE EXISTING SERVICES...............................................................................4

6 PREPARATION OF ROUTE FOR EXCAVATION................................................4

7 INSTALLATION PROCEDURE................................................................................4
 INSTALLATION OF DUCTS.............................................................................................................................4
8 DRUM HANDLING......................................................................................................5

9 HANDLING OF CABLE..............................................................................................7

10 CABLE INSTALLATION............................................................................................7
 PULLING IN DUCTS.........................................................................................................................................7
11 PRE-INSTALLATION TESTS....................................................................................8

9. INSTALLATION TESTS.............................................................................................9

10 CABLE SPLICING.......................................................................................................9

11 FOC TERMINATIONS................................................................................................9

13 QUALITY RECORDS..................................................................................................10

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1 SCOPE

This procedure describes the methods, materials and resources which OHI
Telecommunications intend to employ for installation of the Fiber Optic Cable.

Nawras intends to install 36 core Single Mode Fiber optic cable to connect Electricity
Holding to their network.

A New 36 port Patch Panel with E2000 connectors shall be installed at the fourth floor
of Electricity Holdings Co. 36 core SM Fiber Optic cable shall be laid inside a 110mm
duct from the existing Nawras Handhole outside KOM Compound to EHC fourth
floor.

2 APPLICABILITY

This document applies mainly for excavation of Fiber Optic Cables. A Standard of 60
cm depth shall be excavated, 1 way 110mm uPVC duct installed, Fiber Optic Cable
pulled in the duct and backfilled.

3 Health, Safety & Environment Plan

OHI Telecom shall execute this project under the guidelines of OHI Telecom Health,
Safety and Environment Manual.

All necessary precautions shall be undertaken during the project as outlined by OHI
Telecom HSE manual.

All personal at all times at site shall wear Protective Personal Equipment necessary for
the execution of the respective activity.

Contract Signage indicating the type of work, Client, Contractor shall be displayed at
Strategic locations.

Warning Signs indicating “MEN AT WORK” , “EXCAVATION IN PROGRESS”,

INCONVENIENCE IS REGRETED” etc shall be placed at vital locations.

Safety cones, caution tape and warning lights shall be placed along the route of
excavation and cable installation.

Manholes shall be barricaded and clearly identified with caution tape.

4 EQUIPMENT & TOOLS

 Excavators

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 JCBs
 Shovels
 4WD Hiab
 4 WD Pick-up
 Wooden mandrel
 FOC pulling winch
 FOC Drum Jack & spindle.
 Swivels
 Cable socks (pulling sleeve)
 Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR)
 Light Source & Power Meter
 Fusion Splicing Machine
 Fiber Clever and stripper
 Splicing vehicle
 Optical Talk set
 Fiber identifier

5 Locate Existing Services

 Prior to excavation of trenches all necessary excavation permissions shall
be obtained from relevant authorities.
 Suitable locators shall be used to locate the existing services.
 In case of any other know service being present in the route of excavation,
hand tools shall be used to excavate.

6 Preparation of Route for Excavation

 Prior to the start of excavation, the route for excavation shall be surveyed
and all necessary precautions shall be taken for safe excavation. Chalk
powder shall be used to mark the excavation route.
 Warning Signs clearly showing “Excavation is in progress” shall be placed
on strategic locations clearly identifying the excavation area. Due care shall
be taken that the excavation does not hinder road traffic.

7 Installation Procedure

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 Installation of Ducts

Trenching shall be done for a depth of 600mm with 400mm width.

The bed of the trench shall be cleaned of stones and 50mm of bedding with soft
sand shall be done.

uPVC duct shall be laid on top of this sand bed. The duct to be used for this
project shall be uPVC with 110mm outer diameter. The duct will be supplied in
6 mtr length.

The duct shall be laid in the trench as straight as possible. In case of any
directional changes, keep the bending radius as big as possible. A minimum
bending radius of 10 times the outer diameter of the duct is to be maintained.
Avoid 90 degree sharp bends, undercut the trench at corners. When duct takes
to a vertical position, it is important to support the duct to prevent damage or
kinking during restoration. During transportation and storing at the site duct
ends shall be sealed with proper end caps against water penetration or other
impurities like sand, soil which increase significantly the friction between the
duct and the cable. When placement of duct is over and connections of duct
ends are deferred to a later stage, it is advised to overlap duct ends by one
meter from each side. Both ends of the duct must be properly sealed with end
plugs. It is not recommended to hang ducts on fences, barriers, etc, because
such treatment of the ducts at higher ambient temperatures can cause harm to
the ideal form of the duct. In cold weather the duct can become brittle and
freeze in those portions, which are in direct contact with the metal portions of
the fence. Pump out water if any from the trench before placement of duct.
Couplers shall be used for connecting duct ends.

Existing duct shall be used for the road crossings as per drawings attached.
Upon completion the ends shall be sealed to prevent ingress of water and sand
using a plug. Sealing shall be achieved without use of glues, sealing
compounds or foams. After its installation, the conduit shall be cleaned on the
inside from any kind of material (earth, stones, etc.).A puling rope shall be
provided in the conduit for future use.

Backfilling using dune sand to a height of 100 mm shall be done after the duct
installation. Warning board of 200mm wide and 2mm thick as per Nawras
standards shall be laid on top of this backfilling layer.
The excavated material free of big stones shall be then filled for a height of
200mm and leveled. A warning tape as per Nawras Specification shall be laid
on top of this layer.
Rest of the trench shall be backfilled using the excavated material upto the
existing ground level.

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8 DRUM HANDLING
The handling and storage of Fiber Optic Cables is critical in all aspects of the project
right from transportation to completion of installation.
Following guidelines are to be strictly followed while handling the cable drums
 Each drum shall be checked on delivery to site for apparent damages

 The cable drums shall be stored on a flat and firm surface.

 A crane or forklift shall be used for lifting and placing the drums in
position
 Cable drums shall not be stacked on top of each other
 Cable drums shall always be handled on their flanges.
 Never carry the Cable drums on their sides, as this may cause tangling of
the cable.
 The drums shall be placed in a vertical position resting on their battens and
never on their flanges.
 Cable drums shall be placed in rows, with marked flanges to the same side
and at intervals to allow adequate access for testing, loading and transport.
 As drums will be of varying length, drums of same lengths shall be stored
together in the same row.
 When placing drums on uneven or sloping ground, take necessary
precaution against rolling. Ensure appropriate stopping devices are
available.
 When drums are stored for a considerable time, it is advisable to keep them
off a damp surface to avoid damage to the wooden drum by rodents or
decay.
 The cable drums shall not be subjected to extreme heat and exposed to
direct sunlight. Wooden battens shall be maintained in position to prevent
direct sunlight.
 In the event of battens being removed for inspection or testing purpose,
they are to be replaced immediately.
 Avoid the use of nails on cable drums, as flange thickness may vary.
 The drum battens shall be removed only at the site and at the time of
laying.
 At location always roll the drum in the direction of the arrow. Never roll in
the opposite direction, as this will loosen the cable wind
 The drums shall not be rolled off the truck
 Never use hooks directly through the flange holes as this may cause
damage to the drums.
 Always lift drums using a bar through the flange holes.

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 Always check the weight of the drum to ensure the lifting device has the
required capacity.
 Never overload a lifting device in weight or reach or a combination of both.
 Always lower the drums gently onto the ground or transport tray. Never
drop drums. Avoid impact, which may damage the drums.
 Each drum shall be secured to the truck by a continuous chain running
through its central hole.
 The drums shall be restrained from rolling on or off the truck. This shall be
ensured by placing wooden wedges or similar blocks under them on either
sides of the point of contact.
 Drums returned to the store with balance cable must be stored in a separate
area. The length of the cable remaining on the drum must be clearly
indicated by paint on the flange of the drum.
 All empty drums shall be removed from the site as and when they become
empty and returned to store for disposal.

9 HANDLING OF CABLE
 When handling Fiber Optic Cable certain precautions are to be followed.
 It needs to be handled appropriately to ensure the long-term life of the
cable.
 The cable shall not be dragged along the ground or trench as this may cause
abrasion and damage to the outer sheath and may result in kinks in the
cable, if it gets stuck in debris, rock or similar.
 Always ensure that there are enough people available to hold the cable so
that it does not drag along the ground.
 No traffic of whatever nature shall be permitted to cross over the cables.
 No construction plant, trucks or even light vehicles shall be allowed to
drive over the cable.
 Personnel shall not be permitted to step on the cables.
 When the cable is being uncoiled, care shall be taken to ensure that the
coils left on the drum do not cross over one another.
 Cutting of Fiber Optic cable is normally not allowed.
 Where it is absolutely necessary to cut the cable at terminations, both ends
of the cut cables shall be sealed with temporary end caps in order to keep
moisture and dirt away from the fibers and prevent the filling compound
escaping.
 The end caps are of the heat shrink type specially formulated for sealing
applications for all commonly used cables.
 The size of the heat shrink end-cap shall be suitable for the cable to be
used.

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10 Cable Installation
 Pulling in Ducts

Flag signals (Red & Green) may be used for stopping and starting the cable
pulling operations.
The pulling tension should be uniform throughout and jerking the cable while
pulling should be avoided.
A constant vigil shall be kept on the pulling tension applied to the cable so that
it does not exceed the recommended tensile load specified by the cable
manufacturer.
Generally the Fiber optic cables can be pulled for a reasonably straight duct run
of 400 meters without running the risk of damaging the cable.
When the pulling distance is more than 400 meters, the cable should be guided
manually at intermediate drop pits (duct openings).
Drop pits should also be provided at sharp bends in the duct run
A non-petroleum based cable lubricant (Graphite or Talcum Powder as a paste
with water) may be used to minimize the hauling tension.
After FOC installation, the conduit shall be sealed with suitable sealing plugs.
These plugs will assure protection against both water and dust inlet and can be
easily removed in case of necessity.
Figure Eighting:
Cutting the cable to facilitate convenient cable installation is not allowed.
Cutting of cable will introduce additional joints, which will lead to increase of
Link Loss. This can be avoided by preparing the Drum Allocation Plan and
Splice Position List as mentioned earlier.
It may not be possible to pull the entire drum length of cable from one joint
location to the next joint location in a single stretch. In this case the cable is to
be pulled in more than one stage.
The drum is kept at an intermediate drop pit (duct opening) and the cable is
first pulled towards any one joint location.
The remaining cable on the drum is taken off the drum and coiled on the
ground in a large “figure eight” formation. Observing all the safety precautions.
When the cable is coiled and kept on the ground, care must be taken to ensure
that the ground is free of sharp rocks or obstacles, which can damage the cable.
It is preferred that the ground is level and that an area of 20m by 10m is
available.
The end of the cable is taken off the drum and pulled through the duct in the
opposite direction toward the next joint location

11 PRE-INSTALLATION TESTS
Pre-installation test shall be performed
 in the cable drums after the drums are delivered at the site.

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 to ensure that fiber cables received from the manufacturer conform to

specifications (length, attenuation etc.) and are not damaged during transportation.
 with OTDR either at 1310nm or 1550nm.
 on all fibers but in one direction only.
The results - the fiber length (km) and the fiber loss (dB/km) - are measured directly
from OTDR.
The results are recorded in the appropriate test sheet and compared with the Factory
Test reports.
9. INSTALLATION TESTS
Installation tests should be performed
 to ensure that the cable is not damaged during placement
 before splicing
 with OTDR either at 1310nm or 1550nm.
 on all fibers but in one direction only.
The results - the fiber length (km) and the fiber loss (dB/km) - are measured directly
from OTDR.
The results are recorded in the appropriate test sheet and compared with the Pre
Installation test results.
10 CABLE SPLICING
 FOC Joints will be located in Prefabricated Hand-holes. The size of the Hand-hole
shall be 800x1600x1280mm (WxLxD). The frame & covers shall be made of
heavy-duty cast iron. The size of the cover shall be 800x800 and two such covers
will be used.
 A minimum length of 15 shall be kept at both ends of the cables to be jointed.
Initially these surplus cables shall be kept inside the hand-hole in a figure-eight
formation. After jointing, the two cables shall be coiled together with an internal
diameter not less than 800 mm. The coil and the Joint shall be fixed to the side-
wall of the hand-hole as per standard practice.
 Care should be taken to ensure that when the cable is coiled the minimum-bending
radius specified by the cable manufacturer is maintained.
 Cables shall be clearly labeled upon entry to the hand-hole with the destination of
each cable. Marking shall be permanent which will not deteriorate during the
lifetime of the system.
 Fiber optic splices shall be made in areas where temperature, humidity and
cleanliness can be controlled. It requires a splicing vehicle equipped with a
workstation that will allow environmental control. A dedicated vehicle shall be
used for this purpose. The workstation of the vehicle shall equipped with an A/C
powered by a Generator.

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11 FOC TERMINATIONS
At termination points, at least 15 meters of surplus cable will be left in a coil
before the cable enters the termination modules. The surplus cable shall be
protected as per approved procedure.
Inside buildings the cables shall be run in trucking or on cable racks, in line with
the standard practice for the type of building. This shall permit easy access and
present a tidy appearance and provide protection from accidental disturbance or
damage.
 Cables shall be clearly labeled upon entry into the shelter with the destination of
each cable. Marking shall be permanent which will not deteriorate during the
lifetime of the system.
 For terminating Cables, rack mounted patch panels may be used with FC/PC
connectors
12 PRE COMMISIONING TESTS
Splice loss measurements shall be performed
 to determine the quality of cable splices and cable terminations (attenuation,
location etc.)
 after terminating the fibers at both ends
 with OTDR at 1310nm and 1550nm.
The measurements are recorded in the appropriate test sheet.

Insertion loss measurements shall be performed

 to determine the total optical loss of the FOC Link including connectors
 to determine whether the FOC link is suitable for commissioning
 with Laser Source and Power meter at 1310nm and 1550nm
The measurements are recorded in the appropriate test sheet.

13 QUALITY RECORDS
 An up to date cable drum traceability record shall be kept to identify where each
drum length has been installed.

 Records of continuity tests shall be maintained. These shall be traceable to

number of optical fibers, cable drum number, chainage, dates of installation and
testing etc.

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