TSD-2000-5-3: OPTICAL FIBRE: DISPOSAL OF WASTE Issue 3

This document addresses the disposal of the shards of bare optical fibre that are the waste product from the termination or splicing of optical fibre cable. These, although small, can easily penetrate the skin and cause painful inflammation and infection. Since the termination and splicing processes are manual, the shards can be transferred to other areas such as the mouth and eyes. The potential consequences of this could be serious. If shards are ingested, they can not be detected by normal methods of analysis including X-rays. Clearly it is important to implement effective procedures for the disposal of shards. The coverage of this issue by existing Standards can be traced to BS 7718, which was originally published by the FIA as the Code of Practice for Cabling Installation. This new FIA document includes recommendations as to the practices to be adopted, and how these may be implemented.