Specific OSHA
Telecommunications
Standards
1910.268
Standard Applies to:
 Telecommunication centers: installation,
operation, maintenance, rearrangement, and
removal of communications switching
equipment.
 Telecommunication field: installation,
operation, maintenance, rearrangement, and
removal of conductors, their supporting
structures, overhead or underground, on
public/private rights of way.
OSHA Telecommunication
Requirements
(10 or more employees or hazardous industry
which Telecommunication is considered)
 OSHA 301 Incident Report; 300 Log; 300A
Summary
 Personal Protective Equipment by job
 Specific Programs: Lockout/tagout, Haz-com,
Trenching/ Shoring, Forklifts, Fire Protection,
Housekeeping, Bloodborne Pathogens
 Emergency Preparedness Plan
 Written Safety Manual
Decision Process for Determining
Recordability
 Record only injuries/illnesses that you
answer YES to the following:
– Did the employee experience an injury/illness?
– Is it work-related?
– Is it a new case or do I need to update a
previous entry?
– Does it meet the general recording or additional
criteria?
OSHA 301 Incident Report
 1 form per incident
 Recorded within 7 days after you hear about it
 Must keep on file for 5 years following the year to
which it pertains
 Gathers specific details about the circumstances
of the incident and the employee (HR file)
 After you record the incident in the Log; transfer
the case number to coordinate with #10 on the
Form 301
 Average time to complete the form=22 minutes
300 Log--Overview
 For a specific calendar year
 Must be recorded within 7 calendar days of the incident
 If the situation changes from the original recorded
information, draw a line through the original entry and
check off new information as appropriate
 Must keep for 5 years following the year to which it
pertains
 Do not send the completed forms to OSHA unless
requested to do so
 Summary must be posted from Feb. 1-April 30 in a
conspicuous place; don’t send to OSHA unless
requested to do so
 Recordkeeping done for each work site; contact your
state specifically for definition of work site
OSHA 300 Log--Definitions of Work
Related Injuries/Illnesses
 Those that result in death or in-patient hospitalization
of 3 or more employees (must be reported in 8 hours
to OSHA 24 hour hotline 800-321-OSHA)
 Days away from work—don’t count day of incident, but
include weekends/holidays; 180 day cap
 Restricted/transferred to another job—unable to
perform 1 or more of their routine duties
 Medical treatment beyond first-aid—management and
care of a patient to combat disease/injury beyond first
aid
First-Aid is:
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Using non-prescription medicine at nonprescription strength
Administering tetanus immunizations
Cleaning, flushing, soaking wounds on the surface of the skin
Using wound coverings such as Band-Aids, gauze pads
Using hot or cold therapy
Using any non-rigid means of support such as wraps and elastic
bandages
Using temporary immobilization devices while transporting a victim (i.e.
sling, neck collars)
Drilling a nail to relieve pressure; draining a blister
Using eye patches
Removing foreign bodies from the eye using only irrigation/swab
Removing splinters/material by irrigation/tweezers
Using finger guards
Using massages (PT/Chiropractor is medical treatment)
Drinking fluids to relieve heat stress
It is the treatment itself not the provider (professional status—Doctor) that
determines if it’s first-aid
OSHA 300 Log--Definitions of Work
Related Injuries/Illnesses
 Loss of consciousness—regardless of length
 Diagnosis of significant work-related injury/illness by a
licensed health care provider
 Protect privacy where necessary—record injuries to intimate
body parts, mental illness, hepatitis, or injuries from sexual
assault as “privacy concern case? On the log
 If it’s not an injury, you must identify the type of illness in (M)
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Injury: wound, lacerations, burns, sprains, fractures
Skin Disorders: caused by exposure of chemicals or plants
Respiratory Conditions: breathing in fumes, gases, vapors
Poisoning: abnormal concentration of toxic substances in blood
Hearing loss: experienced a standard threshold shift in one/both ears
All others: heatstroke, frostbite
300A Summary
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Totals of all categories
SIC Code: Telephone Communications=481
NAICS: 517--Total number of employees and total hours worked
(include part-time, seasonal, temporary)
 Must be certified/signed by a company executive
 Posted Feb.1-April 30 of the following year
 Must keep for 5 years
Emergency Preparedness Plan
 Emergency is any unplanned event that can
cause deaths or significant injuries to
employees, customers, or the public; or that can
shut down your business, disrupt operations,
cause physical damage, or threaten the
company’s financial standing/public image
 Can be anything from a flood or tornado to a
communication failure or civil disturbance
 Preparedness is EVERYONE’s job--according to
their assigned roles
4 Step Process
1.
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4.
Establish a planning team
Analyze capabilities and hazards
Develop the plan
Implement the plan
Vulnerability Analysis Chart
Rank on Scale of 1 (low)-5 (high)
Type of
Emergenc
y
Hurricane
Tornado
Ice Storm
Civil
Disruption
Probability
Human
Impact
Property
Impact
Business
Impact
Internal
Resources
External
Resources
Total
“An Ounce of Prevention…”
No emergency preparedness plan can
guarantee that your telephone company
won’t suffer any losses--but it can minimize
the damage and help use all of your
resources to protect your employees and
your business.
First-aid and Medical
 First aid supplies recommended by a
consulting physician shall be place in
weatherproof containers (unless stored
indoors) and shall be easily accessible.
 Each kit must be inspected at least once a
month.
Training
 Employers shall provide training in the various
precautions and safe practices necessary.
 Training shall consist of on-the-job or
classroom or a combination.
 Some training activities require a certification
i.e. tower climbing, forklift operations
Protection in Public Work Areas
 Before work is begun in the vicinity of
vehicular/pedestrian traffic, warning sings
and/or flags shall be conspicuously placed to
alert/channel approaching traffic.
 At night, warning lights should be displayed.
 Excavated areas shall be enclosed with
protective barricades.
PPE
 Personal protective equipment/devices/ special
tools needed for the work of employees shall
be provided and the employer shall ensue that
they are used.
 Employer is responsible for inspecting PPEs for
good condition.
 Rubber insulating equipment (gloves, blankets)
should be tested on a 12 month basis for new
natural rubber
Personal Climbing Equipment
 Generally, safety belts and straps shall be
provided and the employer shall ensure their
use when work is performed more than 4 ft
above ground, on poles, and towers.
 Employer shall inspect this equipment for safe
working conditions.
 Very specific requirements for buckles, D-rings,
width of leather belts)
Cable Reels
 Cable reels in storage shall be checked or
otherwise restrained when there is a possibility
they might accidentally roll from position.
Handling Suspension Strand
 When handling cable suspension strand which
is being installed on poles carrying exposed
energized power conductors, employees shall
wear insulating gloves and avoid body contact
with the strand until it has been tensioned,
dead-ended and permanently grounded.
Testing Wood Poles
 Rap the pole sharply with a 3lb hammer starting at
the ground line and continuing upwards
circumferentially until approximately 6 ft.
 A clear sound and sharp rebound means the wood
is solid.
 Decay pockets indicate the pole is unsafe.
Manholes
 When covers of manholes/vaults are removed,
the opening shall be promptly guarded by a
railing, temporary cover, or other temporary
barrier.
 While work is being performed, a person with
basic first-aid shall be immediately available.
 Before entering, the internal atmosphere shall
be tested for combustible gas/oxygen
deficiency except for when forced ventilation is
provided.
Microwave Transmission
 Employees should not look into an open
waveguide which is connected to an
energized source of microwave radiation.
 Where accessible areas of the
electromagnetic radiation levels exceeds the
radiation protection of 1910.97 there shall
be a sign posted (many towers need this
posting)
Tree Trimming
 Employees engaged in pruning, trimming,
removing, or clearing trees from lines are
required to consider all overhead/underground
electrical power conductors to be energized and
potentially fatal and never to be touched.
 During all tree work where more than 750v
exits, there shall be a 2nd trained employee
within voice communication.
Safety Manual Should Include:
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Mission Statement
Management roles & responsibilities
WC and other insurance information
General safety rules: accident reporting,
post-injury & return-to-work programs,
inspection lists, first-aid, disciplinary and or
reward process, OSHA compliance programs,
training schedules
 Review & update process/schedule