Editing Outside plant (section)

===Handholes and other below-ground splice vaults===

Handholes and other below-ground splice vaults house telecommunications components used in an Outside Plant (OSP) environment.

Handholes are plastic or polymer concrete structures set below ground with their lids flush to the surrounding soil, turf, footpath, or road surface. They can be used to house and protect copper, coaxial, and optical fiber telephone cable splices and distribution elements. They safeguard and provide convenient access to cable termination and branch points, provide flexibility and access for installation operations (e.g., pulling or blowing cables), provide mechanical and environmental protection for splices, allow access for craftsperson work activities, and discourage access by unauthorized persons.

Handholes and other below-ground splice vaults are deployed in a variety of environments. The major distinctions in these environments focus on the strength and frequency of vehicular and foot traffic loading. There are four basic application environments:

:*Light Duty: Pedestrian Only 
:*Medium Duty: Pedestrian and Light Incidental Vehicular Traffic (Up to Class 5 Vehicles)
:*Heavy Duty: Non-Deliberate (Incidental) Vehicular Traffic (Up to Class 7 Vehicles)
:*Heavy Duty: Non-Deliberate (Incidental) Vehicular Traffic (Up to Class 8 Vehicles)

Handhole-type products deployed in any environment are subjected to the following types of traffic loading: Vertical Cover Load, Vertical Sidewall Load, Lateral Sidewall Load, and Long-Term Lateral Sidewall Load.

Telcordia [http://telecom-info.telcordia.com/site-cgi/ido/docs.cgi?ID=SEARCH&DOCUMENT=GR-902& GR-902, ''Generic Requirements for Handholes and Other Below-Ground Splice Vaults,''] contains detailed industry requirements for handholes, and includes specific loading requirements for the defined application environments. It provides explicit correlations to other standards such as ANSI/SCTE-77,<ref name="ansi">ANSI/SCTE-77, ''Specification for Underground Enclosure Integrity''</ref> AASHTO<ref name="asshto">American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)</ref> specifications, and ASTM C857.<ref name="astm">American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) C857, ''Standard Practice for Minimum Structural Design Loading for Underground Precast Concrete Utility Structures''</ref>