Olson Technology OTEB-CW-B - Manual (Page 24)

21
Optical Connections
1. Installer Must Be Trained in (Class IIIb) Laser Safety.
2. Prior to connecting any fibers to the EDFA a quick review on fiber handling and how
it relates to potential problems and more importantly safety are in order:
c. Review the optical safety guidelines at the start of this guide.
d. The EDFA’s covered in this guide are assumed to be class IIIb as described in
IEC 60825-1.2 Standards. Although there are several factors that influence the
class rating, the optical output power level is the main factor and is what ulti-
mately may cause harm if appropriate precautions are not followed.
e. A few precautions are listed below but should not be used in place of full train-
ing;
i. Do not examine or look directly into broken, severed, or disconnected
optical fibers or cables. This includes optical connectors where there is
no dust-cap in place.
ii. Do not crush, compress, bend excessively, walk on or have over 10-lbs
of cable weight placed on external optical cables (that have a minimum
of 3mm protective buffering).
iii. If there are optical connectors where dust-caps have been removed and
no fiber connected, it is important to place dust caps on these connec-
tors immediately. If power is off it is still important to keep dust off the
connector.
iv. Do not touch the optical connector end-face.
v. Dirty optical connectors can result in permanent damage to the fiber
end-face once optical power is applied. In these cases of optical dam-
age, cleaning will not remove the burnt-on matter and the optical output
power will be reduced. The connector will require replacement to oper-
ate at nominal performance.
vi. It is the installer’s responsibility to be sure all connections are clean be-
fore applying optical power (i.e. enabling laser emission).
vii. Dirt includes oil from an accidental quick touch of a finger tip, or dirt from
the air after exposure for even a short length of time.
viii. Cleaning of the fiber end-face while optical output power is being emit-
ted will also cause burn damage to the end-face and should be avoided.