Electrical hazards: Installation of fiber-optic cabling does not normally involve electrical hazards unless the cable includes

conductors.

In most circuits, only very low voltages (12 V or less) are in use. These voltages are harmless, of course, unless your feet are immersed in water at the bottom of a manhole. However, in some avalanche photodiode circuits in receivers, 300 V or more may be present. Such voltages should be treated with respect. Very high voltages are present in fusion splicers and in the oscilloscopes in optical time-domain reflectometers. Make sure that the frames of such equipment are well grounded.

Using fiber optic control circuits provides electrical isolation for safety in hazardous environments. Because optical cables carry no current they are safe to use in explosive environments and eliminate the hazards of short circuits in metal wires and cables.