Working inside phone company central offices

[ivsenroute]

What has been your experience either doing work in central offices of phone companies where all of the switchgear is located?

Do you pull permits?
Is the work exempt in your area?
Does it get inspected by the AHJ?

This work gets done all of the time as the COs are upgraded and new equipment is installed. The cabling may be under the control of the phone company but not all of the AC voltage used to run the equipment or the battery banks.

Thoughts?

90.2(B)(4) is a very broad statement.

 

[ron]

It varies in each jurisdiction. Some Central Office Building
Engineers feel that they are immune to municipal inspection, but when asked, most townships that I've been in, do not differentiate a telco building with AC power work versus a regular commercial building. Same permits needed.

 

[cowboyjwc]

Actually we are inspecting one right now. Yes permits are required.

What we don't cover is the communications equipment under the exclusive control of communications utilities. Basicaly their transmission equipment.

 

[DanZ]

Actually we are inspecting one right now. Yes permits are required.

What we don't cover is the communications equipment under the exclusive control of communications utilities. Basicaly their transmission equipment.

So, it's kinda like a water heater, local AHJ has authority up to the connection point of the equipment, but not for the equipment itself?

 

[cowboyjwc]

So, it's kinda like a water heater, local AHJ has authority up to the connection point of the equipment, but not for the equipment itself?

Along those lines, yes.

90.2(A)(4) is a good example, the utilities always try to get out of it. Where the phone company falls is 90.2(B)(4)

We always like to say, "we control the comes into and they control the goes out of.":smile: The reverse is true for the POCO.