AE Aerial AE-09 Step 9 of 12
Cable Placement and Lashing
Pull fiber through cable blocks within its tension rating and bend radius, then lash it tight to the strand and clamp it at every pole.
Crew
- Foreman
- Lineworker
- Lasher Operator
- Reel Operator
- Ground Worker
Hazards
- Electrical Contact
- Cable Damage from Over-Tension or Tight Bends
- Falls
- Struck by Vehicles
Purpose
Place the fiber without damage and lash it tight to the strand. Glass does not show damage from the outside. A cable pulled over its rating or bent too tight at a block can pass a visual check and still fail testing, or fail years later. The fix is a re-pull.
When to Do It
- After the strand is tensioned, dead-ended and bonded (AE-08 Strand Placement and Tensioning).
- With the cable’s spec sheet on site: tension rating, outside diameter (OD) and minimum bend radius.
- Next step: AE-10 Slack Storage Loops and Snowshoes.
Roles
- Foreman: checks the cable spec sheet, the pull setup and the lashing at each pole.
- Lineworker: places blocks, sets up corners and installs lashing wire clamps and spacers.
- Lasher operator: runs the cable lasher along the strand and handles it past each pole.
- Reel operator: controls payout so the cable does not overrun or kink.
- Ground worker: watches the cable at corners and road crossings and keeps the public clear.
Equipment and Materials
- Cable reel trailer or reel stand with a brake.
- Cable blocks for the strand, and corner blocks sized for the cable’s bend radius.
- Tension-limiting puller, dynamometer or breakaway swivel to stay below the cable’s rating.
- Cable lasher and lashing wire of the type the owner specifies.
- Lashing wire clamps for every pole.
- Cable spacers where cables share a strand.
Safety
Procedure
- Place cable blocks on the strand and corner blocks at each angle pole.
- Pull or back-pull the cable through the blocks.
- Stay below the cable’s rated pulling tension (per cable manufacturer spec sheet). Use a tension-limiting puller or a breakaway swivel so a snag cannot overload the cable.
- Keep the minimum bend radius at every block and corner: 20 × OD under pulling tension and 10 × OD at rest, unless the manufacturer’s value is larger.
- Watch corners closely. Tension builds at each turn.
- Lash the cable to the strand with a cable lasher.
- Keep the lashing tight and even, with the cable snug against the strand.
- Terminate the lashing wire with lashing wire clamps at every pole, per the owner’s standard, so a break in one span does not unwrap the next.
- Form expansion loops at poles where the owner requires them, keeping bend radius.
- Overlash only onto your own cable, or onto another attacher’s cable with that attacher’s written permission. Give the pole owner the notice the agreement requires.
- In Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulated states, the pole owner may require advance notice of no more than 15 days but may not require pre-approval. State rules vary.
- Overlashing adds load to the strand and the pole. Typical practice is to treat it as a new attachment for loading purposes; follow the owner’s loading criteria and the attachment agreement. In FCC-regulated states the overlasher must follow reasonable safety, reliability and engineering practices (47 CFR 1.1416(d)).
- Keep cable clear of pole steps and other hardware (climbing space per the NESC and owner spec).
- Use spacers where cables share a strand, per the owner’s standard.
Hold Points
Records to Keep
- Cable reel numbers and footage, with sequential footage marks at each end of the pull.
- Peak pulling tension, where a tension-limiting puller or dynamometer records it.
- Locations of expansion loops and spacers.
- Overlash permissions from the cable owner and notices to the pole owner.
Common Mistakes
- Exceeding tension at corners. Use corner blocks and watch tension where the cable turns.
- Kinks at blocks. Blocks too small for the cable break the bend radius.
- Loose lashing. The cable sags away from the strand and rubs or gathers ice.
- Missing lashing clamps. One broken lashing wire unwraps span after span.
- Overlashing without the cable owner’s permission or the pole owner’s required notice. The overlash still adds load the pole owner has to know about.
Standards and References
ANSI/TIA-568.3for OSP cable bend radius.- Cable manufacturer instructions for tension rating and bend radius.
- Owner construction standards for lashing, expansion loops, spacers and overlash rules.
47 CFR 1.1401 and followingor state rules for overlashing.29 CFR 1910.268for 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 6for traffic control where the cable or pull line crosses a road.
On the Map
- Lashed Fiber Cable: fiber bound to the strand with lashing wire.
- Lashing Wire Clamp: terminates the lashing wire at each pole.
- Expansion Loop: the cable loop at a pole that absorbs movement, where the owner requires it.
- Messenger Strand: the strand the cable is lashed to.
Related Tools
- Pull Planner: its bend radius helper gives the pulling and at-rest bend radius from the cable OD.
AE-09 · Field Checklist
Checklist
0/8items 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.
OSP Map · Pole Detail
On the Map
- Lashed Fiber CableFiber cable bound to the messenger strand with a spiral of lashing wire.
- Lashing Wire ClampClamp that anchors the end of the lashing wire on the strand at each pole.
- Expansion LoopCable loop formed at a pole to absorb movement, where the owner requires it.
- Messenger StrandGalvanized steel strand tensioned pole to pole that carries the lashed fiber cable.