Fiber Safety Seminar
August 18, 2026 • 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
VMDAEC Training Center • 1293 Salem Church Road, Palmyra, VA
Deadline is August 12, 2026
Join VMDAEC and S&N Infrastructure for this one-day Fiber Safety Seminar designed for employees who work with or around fiber optic systems. This seminar will cover essential safety practices, including PPE requirements, hazard recognition, OSHA telecommunications standards, power space versus communications space, fiber under tension, and entanglement hazards. Through expert instruction and interactive discussion, participants will gain the knowledge needed to recognize risks, work safely, and comply with industry safety requirements.
AGENDA
- Scope of fiber work in utility/communications environments
- Common job tasks and exposure points
- Incident trends and lessons learned
- Why fiber safety differs from traditional linework
- How fiber infrastructure safety is the same as traditional linework
- Safety considerations for outage restoration & disaster recovery
- Prioritizing safety in fiber operations
- Required vs. recommended PPE for fiber work
- Eye protection (fiber shards, laser exposure)
- Hand protection and handling glass fibers
- Arc/flash considerations when working near power
- Inspection, care, and limitations of PPE
- Fiber-specific hazards (glass shards, invisible light energy, laser types)
- Electrical hazards in shared space
- Trip/fall and aerial hazards
- Environmental considerations (weather, wildlife, traffic)
- Human performance factors and situational awareness
- Industrial Hygiene
- Chemical exposures, mitigation, SDS
- Tool safety
- Splice trailer and vehicle safety
- Cut exposure
- Lifting strain- vault lids
- Clean agent fire suppression in network facilities
- Wildlife, livestock, pets, customer site considerations
- Industrial/commercial site installations
- Lifting and rigging/ropes, knots, jibs & hoists
- Confined Space
- Environmental considerations
- Key sections applicable to fiber work
- Employer vs. employee responsibilities
- Working aloft, ladders, and poles
- Bucket truck safety
- Traffic control requirements
- Comparison to 1910.269 when applicable
- Understanding the “supply space” vs. “communications space”
- Incursions- Recognizing when supply space is not really supply space
- Minimum approach distances and clearances
- Working on joint-use poles
- Induced voltage and grounding considerations
- When a qualified electrical worker is required
- Coordination with line crews/utilities
- Inside plant fiber considerations
- OPGW Identification and precautions
- How tension is created during installation
- Risks during pulling, sagging, and splicing
- Stored energy and snapback hazards
- Safe setup of pulling equipment
- Best practices for tension control and monitoring
- Common entanglement scenarios (reels, capstans, rollers)
- Body positioning and exclusion zones
- Lockout/tagout concepts for moving equipment
- Communication between crew members
- Emergency response if entanglement occurs
- Key takeaways from each session
- Questions and answers
- Review of safety expectations moving forward
- Course evaluations and closeout
QUESTIONS?
Rachael Freeman
Director of Safety Training - VMDAEC
(434) 510-4000
LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE
$300 Member Price
$400 Non-Member Price
*lunch included
Invoicing will be based on the registration numbers at the deadline, and invoices will be issued on the day of the event.
COURSE PRESENTED BY:
S&N Infrastructure, Inc. is a leader in providing reliable turn-key fiber infrastructure construction, power distribution construction, gas construction, design services, and underground utility locating services. Our commitment to partnership and lasting customer relationships is supported by S&N’s core values: integrity, safety, innovation, experience, and craftsmanship.
