Ergonomic Guidelines for Common Job Functions …

1 Ergonomic Guidelines for CommonJob Functions within The Telecommunications industry Prepared by the National Telecommunications Safety Panel Ergonomics Subcommittee Issued November 2007 Disclaimer This document has been developed by Safety representatives from major telecommunications companies across the United States as a guideline for Ergonomics in the telecommunications industry . This guideline is based on our collective experiences and is intended to assist telecommunications companies in developing their own ergonomics program.

2 Any adoption of these Guidelines is made at the users own discretion and volition and in doing so the users are forewarned that the Guidelines are not guaranteed to reduce and / or prevent Ergonomic illnesses. Companies in our industry are free to adopt or reject this guideline. Neither the adoption nor the rejection of this guideline shall be construed as an admission that our industry has an Ergonomic issue. No third party shall have the right to enforce or benefit from this guideline. No third party may force any company within our industry to adopt or reject this guideline for any purpose (s).

3 Furthermore, the guideline lacks the force of law and may not be used against our industry by any regulatory agency. This document is not intended to be construed as a recommendation to any manufacturer to modify or change any of its products to conform to the guideline. This document does not represent any commitment by the developers to purchase any product, whether or not it provides the described characteristics of this guideline. Nothing contained herein shall be construed as conferring by implication, estoppel or otherwise any license or right under any patent, whether or not the use of any information herein necessarily employs an invention of any existing or later issued patent.

4 The developers of this document do not recommend products and nothing contained herein is intended as a recommendation of any product to anyone. Special thanks to the Developers of this Document John Quinlan * Verizon Marie Robinson * AT&T Eric Allgaier Sprint Nextel Lynn Alpaugh AT&T Frank Bannister Sprint Nextel Marshall Berry AT&T Art Farmer Cincinnati Bell Kathy Turner AT&T Laura

5 Kiser AT&T * Co-Chairs Table of Contents Introduction A - 1 Ergonomics Program Elements B - 1 Outside Plant Environment C - 1 Handling Extension Ladders C - 2 Handling Lashing Machine C - 5 Removing and Replacing a Manhole Cover C - 7 Splicing Cable

6 C - 10 Placing Equipment into and out of a Manhole C - 13 Handling Cable Reels C - 15 Collecting Coin Boxes C - 17 Pole Climbing C - 20 Power Tools C - 23 Jack Hammer C - 26 Handling Equipment in Aerial Operations C - 30 Handling Compressed Gas Cylinders C - 33 Sawing a Utility Pole C - 36

7 Shoveling C - 39 Driving a Vehicle C - 43 Central Office Environment D - 1 Wire Wrapping / Unwrapping D - 2 Wire Stripping D - 5 Working on a Ladder in the Central Office D - 8 Handling Wire Reels D -11 Pushing

8 And Dragging Material D -13 Kneeling while Working D -16 Climbing a Ladder in the Central Office D -18 Office Environment E 1 Typing E - 2 Mousing and Alternative Input Devices E - 8 Sitting E - 14 Reaching E - 19 Phone Use E - 23

9 Viewing Monitor E 27 Writing in a computer environment E 32 Using a Laptop Computer E 39 Retail Environment F - 1 Wireless Retail Operations F - 2 Glossary of Terms G - 1 Appendices Alliance Between OSHA and the National Telecommunications

10 Safety Pa