Working Safely With Fiber

摘要

Working with and around electricity poses hazards that most people don't face in their daily jobs. From apprenticeship training throughout their careers, safety training is a continual process for electricians. Working with low voltages carried by copper in structured wiring systems is perceived as less dangerous than higher voltages, and fiber optic cable carries no electricity, yet both require attention to safe work practices. Much of the cable for building security, alarm and control systems remains copper, but fiber optic cable segments are a part of a growing number of buildings' structured wiring. "I do not foresee any change in the cabling for building security, alarm and control systems for installing copper and coaxial cable for systems under 1,000 feet," said James Dallas, training manager, Kitco Fiber Optics, Virginia Beach, Va. "For security systems that cover larger areas, it makes sense to convert those systems to fiber. The fiber in this scenario carries data at much greater distances with very little signal loss and does not require amplifiers or signal regenerators."