AE Aerial AE-02 Step 2 of 12

Field Survey and Make-Ready Engineering

Survey every pole and span, set an attachment height that meets NESC and owner rules, run pole loading and list the make-ready.

Checklist On the Map

Crew

Field Surveyor
OSP Engineer or Designer
Pole Loading Analyst
Permitting Coordinator

Hazards

Contact with Energized Facilities
Traffic
Uneven Ground and Vegetation

Crew: Field Surveyor · OSP Engineer or Designer · Pole Loading Analyst · Permitting Coordinator
Hazards: Contact with Energized Facilities · Traffic · Uneven Ground and Vegetation
Governing Rules: NESC · OSHA 29 CFR 1910.268(n)(13) · OSHA 29 CFR 1926 (construction work) or 29 CFR 1910.268 (telecommunications maintenance and service) · employer safety program · MUTCD Part 6

Job / route		Date
Location / station		Locate ticket

Purpose

Produce a design that fits on every pole with the separations and clearances that the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) and the owner require, and an accurate make-ready list. Everything downstream depends on this survey: the application, the make-ready cost, the framing heights and the as-builts. A wrong height found after strand is up means rework on every pole in the section.

When to Do It

After the route and pole list exist and while the attachment application is being prepared (AE-01 Pole Attachment Applications). Many owners require the survey data in the application.
Some owners run their own survey or a joint survey with all attachers. Follow the owner’s process.
Next step: AE-03 Make-Ready Execution and Coordination.

Roles

Field surveyor: collects pole data, heights, photos and midspan measurements.
OSP engineer or designer: sets the proposed attachment height, designs guying and writes the make-ready.
Pole loading analyst: models each pole with the new attachment and identifies replacements or new guys. Often the same person as the engineer.
Permitting coordinator: packages the results for the owner.

Equipment and Materials

Non-conductive height measuring stick or laser rangefinder that reads attachment and midspan heights without touching wires.
GPS-enabled field tablet with survey forms.
Camera.
Pole loading analysis software.
The owner’s construction standards, spacing rules and sag and tension charts.

Safety

Procedure

Survey each pole.
- Record the pole id, height and class from the tag and the birthmark.
- Record every existing attachment with its height: power, neutral, streetlight, transformer and communication.
- Record the ground wire, existing guys and anchors, risers and equipment.
- Photograph each pole from more than one side, including the tag and the attachments.
Measure midspan heights and clearances.
- Measure over roads, driveways, sidewalks and other attachments.
- Note tree conflicts and anything else in the span, such as signs or buildings.
Set the proposed attachment height in the communication space so it keeps all three of these:
- the required separation below supply facilities in the supply space (per NESC Rules 235 and 238), which sets the communication worker safety zone;
- the owner’s spacing from other communication attachments (per owner spec);
- the required midspan clearance under worst-case sag (per NESC Table 232-1).
Run pole loading analysis with the new attachment, guys and changes.
- Use the NESC loading criteria for the loading district (per NESC Rule 250) and the owner’s criteria.
- Identify pole replacements and new guys.
- Model angle poles and dead-end poles, not just tangent poles. They carry the unbalanced load.
- See the Pole Loading Primer for the forces and NESC ideas a loading report uses.
Specify make-ready for each pole: rearrangements, transfers, power work, guying and pole replacements.
- Classify simple and complex make-ready where Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or state rules use those terms, because the class decides who can do the work and on what schedule.
Check that the NESC edition you design to is the one the state has adopted. Editions and adoption vary by state. Where the state uses its own overhead line rules instead of the NESC (for example per CPUC General Order 95 in California), design to those. Confirm the governing code with the authority having jurisdiction.

Hold Points

Records to Keep

Survey sheets for every pole.
Photos of every pole, tag and midspan conflict.
Measured attachment and midspan heights.
Pole loading results for every pole.
Make-ready drawings and the make-ready list by pole.

Common Mistakes

Trusting old records. Attachments move, poles get replaced and new attachers show up. Measure every pole.
Missing midspan conflicts. A pole can look fine while the cable sags too low over a driveway halfway down the span.
Skipping loading on angle and dead-end poles. These poles carry the unbalanced tension and are often the ones that fail.
Designing to the wrong NESC edition or to national code when the owner’s rule is stricter.

Standards and References

NESC (IEEE C2) Rules 235 and 238 (separations), Table 232-1 (vertical clearances), Rule 250 (loading).
Owner construction standards for spacing, loading criteria and drawing standards.
47 CFR 1.1401 and following or state rules for simple and complex make-ready.
29 CFR 1910.268 for telecommunications field work near power.
OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926 for construction work, which 29 CFR 1910.268 excludes (1910.268(a)(2)(i)). Your employer’s safety program says how to comply.
MUTCD Part 6 for traffic control during midspan measurements over roads.
The Pole Loading Primer for the forces, NESC loading ideas and make-ready results behind the analysis.

On the Map

Supply Space: the upper pole section for power conductors and equipment, where only qualified electrical workers go.
Neutral and Secondary: the grounded conductor below the primaries; communication separation is often measured from it.
Communication Worker Safety Zone: the required separation between supply facilities and communication attachments.
Communication Space: the pole section where telecom attachments go, with spacing between attachers per owner spec.
Midspan Clearance: clearance of the cable’s lowest point over roads, drives and walks.
Road Crossing: where the route spans a road and the midspan clearance governs.

Not applicable: no FAHMY tool covers pole surveys or loading analysis.

AE-02 · Field Checklist

Checklist

0/7items ticked

Tick each procedure step and hold point as the crew completes it. Ticks stay on this device only. They are a personal aid, not a hold-point release or a project record; follow the owner’s sign-off process.

Procedure

Step 1: Survey each pole.Record the pole id, height and class from the tag and the birthmark.Record every existing attachment with its height: power, neutral, streetlight, transformer and communication.Record the ground wire, existing guys and anchors, risers and equipment.Photograph each pole from more than one side, including the tag and the attachments.
Step 2: Measure midspan heights and clearances.Measure over roads, driveways, sidewalks and other attachments.Note tree conflicts and anything else in the span, such as signs or buildings.
Step 3: Set the proposed attachment height in the communication space so it keeps all three of these:the required separation below supply facilities in the supply space (per NESC Rules 235 and 238), which sets the communication worker safety zone;the owner's spacing from other communication attachments (per owner spec);the required midspan clearance under worst-case sag (per NESC Table 232-1).
Step 4: Run pole loading analysis with the new attachment, guys and changes.Use the NESC loading criteria for the loading district (per NESC Rule 250) and the owner's criteria.Identify pole replacements and new guys.Model angle poles and dead-end poles, not just tangent poles. They carry the unbalanced load.See the Pole Loading Primer for the forces and NESC ideas a loading report uses.
Step 5: Specify make-ready for each pole: rearrangements, transfers, power work, guying and pole replacements.Classify simple and complex make-ready where Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or state rules use those terms, because the class decides who can do the work and on what schedule.
Step 6: Check that the NESC edition you design to is the one the state has adopted. Editions and adoption vary by state. Where the state uses its own overhead line rules instead of the NESC (for example per CPUC General Order 95 in California), design to those. Confirm the governing code with the authority having jurisdiction.

Hold Points

Hold PointStop and Verify the DesignDo not submit the design or release make-ready until every pole has a proposed height that meets the supply separation, the owner's spacing and the midspan clearance, and every pole on the route (tangent, angle and dead-end) has passed loading, or has a replacement or new guy in the make-ready.

Records to Keep

Survey sheets for every pole.
Photos of every pole, tag and midspan conflict.
Measured attachment and midspan heights.
Pole loading results for every pole.
Make-ready drawings and the make-ready list by pole.

Completed by		Signature
Checked by		Notes

AE-02 v1.0.0 · https://fahmy.io/aerial/ae-02/ · Printed from FAHMY. Check the page for the current version before use. FAHMY is a reference, not a substitute for owner specifications, the authority having jurisdiction, manufacturer instructions, training or qualified supervision. Follow your employer's safety program and all applicable laws.

OSP Map · Route Profile

On the Map

Open the map

Supply SpaceUpper section of the pole for power conductors and equipment; only qualified electrical workers work there.
Neutral and SecondaryGrounded power conductor, often near the bottom of the supply space; measure separation from the lowest supply facility.
Communication Worker Safety ZoneRequired separation between supply facilities and communication attachments (NESC, owner spec).
Communication SpacePole section below the safety zone for telecom attachments, spaced per the owner’s standard.
Midspan ClearanceHeight of the cable’s lowest point over roads, drives and walks (NESC Table 232-1, owner spec).
Road CrossingWhere the route crosses a road: bored under it, or spanned over it with the required clearance.

Field Survey and Make-Ready Engineering

Crew

Hazards

Purpose

When to Do It

Roles

Equipment and Materials

Safety

Procedure

Hold Points

Records to Keep

Common Mistakes

Standards and References

On the Map

Checklist

On the Map

Operations

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Crew

Hazards

Purpose

When to Do It

Roles

Equipment and Materials

Safety

Procedure

Hold Points

Records to Keep

Common Mistakes

Standards and References

On the Map

Related Tools

Checklist

On the Map

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