Living in a digital world means that most companies rely on sophisticated data centers for storing, distributing, and processing large amounts of data. The United States is home to over 5,400 such centers, each equipped with advanced computing systems.
Hence, ensuring data center safety is not only essential once the establishment is up and running, but also during the construction phase. Otherwise, it can impact worker health and wellbeing, disrupt operations and timelines, and cause financial losses.
Let’s delve into the common construction hazards in such environments and the best safety practices for data centers.
Data Center Safety: Why It Matters
Failing to adopt and follow proper safety measures can lead to multiple issues during a data center’s construction phase. It is not just the physical pain and discomfort that impact workers in case of accidents or injuries. Such incidents can also harm their morale and professional satisfaction. They might have to go on extended leave or get transferred to other job roles. This can affect your business continuity or delay timelines.
That’s not all.
After recovery, your employees may not feel as engaged with their duties or may even seek employment elsewhere. As you are aware, high attrition or low retention can be costly. Additionally, if the injuries cannot be managed onsite with first aid, you will need to send the injured workers to the emergency room (ER). This means your Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordables will shoot up. Poor OSHA compliance implies greater regulatory scrutiny, as well as significant fines.
Not ensuring data center worker safety can inflate your compensation and insurance costs too. In other words, your profit margin will take a hit. In case of serious situations, you might end up with lawsuits as well.
In short, an unsafe work environment also means your brand reputation will suffer among potential employees, investors, business partners, and clients.
Hence, adhering to safety practices in data centers is not only crucial for maintaining a productive and efficient environment but also for ensuring the safety of personnel and assets.
Common Safety Hazards during Data Center Construction
Listed below are some of the usual vulnerabilities faced at the time of constructing a data center:
- Electrical: Powering a data center’s cooling systems and servers requires high-voltage equipment. Problems related to insulation or wiring can cause shocks, burns, and other hazards.
- Fire: Machines housed in data centers are often responsible for massive heat generation. Hence, there is a high risk of fire outbreaks in the absence of proper suppression solutions. Apart from electrical malfunctions, flammable materials and excessively heated servers can be risks.
- Stress and Strain: Long hours of work, heavy lifting, and repetitive actions can lead to stress and strain. Besides burnout, fatigue, and musculoskeletal injuries, workers might experience mental health issues.
- Other Threats to Physical Security: Falls from heights, slips, and trips are common data center safety problems.
- Operational Errors: Not operating machines properly, ignoring procedural instructions, or making mistakes while installing important systems can pose hazards as well.
Data Center Safety Best Practices to Follow Closely
Here are the steps you can take to ensure compliance with OSHA’s safety standards:
- Ensure Electrical Safety: When handling electrical systems, ensure your workers use tools that are insulated and follow accurate wiring techniques. Grounding mechanisms need to be appropriate and labelling of electrical panels must be precise. Pick only qualified and competent workers for electrical tasks. Train them to de-energize any equipment completely or check the voltage of any system before starting work. If any equipment cannot be de-energized or locked out fully, make sure it is tagged or marked so that workers can stay away from it during risky procedures.
- Prevent and Suppress Fires: Fire extinguishers that can tackle electrical fires are a crucial component of data center safety standards. Ensure it’s easy to reach fire exits and organize fire drills on a regular basis. For added protection, consider installing automated sprinkler systems. Any job involving cutting or welding should be carried out away from combustible items, like insulation, chemicals, carpeting, or drywall.
- Prepare Against Falls: Inspect ladders and other climbing mechanisms before every usage. To prevent slips, make sure these are angled and positioned correctly. Make it mandatory for workers to use harnesses and protective gear to prevent injuries or fatalities in case of falls.
- Focus on Ergonomics: Provide employees with ergonomic equipment and tools to prevent strains or injuries from repetitive actions. Ensure that workers adopt healthy postures and use proper lifting techniques to prevent unnecessary stress.
- Ensure Proper Storage and Handling of Chemicals: Train your staff to handle dangerous chemicals safely and make sure they are aware of the risks. The labelling and storage of such hazardous items should be done with extreme care.
- Don’t Ignore Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Make sure all workers have and use proper PPE (free of rips), which might include safety goggles, gloves, boots, ear muffs, anti-fire suits, etc.
- Control Noise and Facilitate Ventilation: Cooling systems and servers can be quite noisy and can affect the hearing of workers over time. Implement soundproofing and ventilation wherever possible and provide employees with ear protection.
- Ensure Safe Equipment Handling: Get workers trained on operating machines and handling equipment securely. They should also know when and how to use aids like lifts, carts, cranes, and scaffolds to minimize or eliminate the possibility of strains, sprains, and falls.
- Plan for Emergency Evacuation: Put together and share clear evacuation plans to deal with emergencies like electrical failures, chemical spills, and fires. Employees should also know exactly what to do in such situations.
- Conduct Audits Regularly: To make sure data center safety standards are being followed sincerely, hold routine audits. Document incidents or injuries properly to track safety compliance over time and be prepared in case of legal liabilities. Audits will also help you spot potential hazards or safety gaps and take corrective measures to avoid serious scenarios.
- Monitor the Work Environment Smartly: Digital monitors and smart sensors can help spot hazardous situations before they blow out of proportion.
- Promote a Culture of Safety: Safety regulations and standards, no matter what your industry, change from time to time. Awareness of and compliance with the latest rules is vital.
- Avail Remote Occupational Health Services: To ensure data center worker safety, you must arrange for immediate medical attention in case of an accident or injury. Remote doctor-led triage services are perfect for that. Licensed occupational physicians, available round-the-clock, can assess any injury via phone or video calls this way. They will offer tailored treatment plans and monitor the recovery process till the worker is back in shape. They will also offer mental support and boost the patient’s morale by answering queries and clarifying doubts. This, in turn, can ensure speedy recovery and minimal operational disruption.
Also Read: 2025 Workplace Safety Trends: 6 Ways to Support Your Employees
Conclusion
The construction of a data center poses multiple risks to workers, including fires, electrical faults, falls, and musculoskeletal injuries. Not taking data center safety seriously can not only make the worksite unproductive but also invite regulatory penalties and damage your business reputation. Luckily, you can adhere to industry safety standards by taking several effective steps. Adopting measures to prevent electrical shocks and fires, focusing on PPE and ergonomics, preparing evacuation plans, nurturing a safety culture, and conducting audits are among them. Availing workplace occupational health services remotely is another one of those crucial safety practices in data centers.
Ensure Data Center Safety during Construction with WorkPartners USA
At WorkPartners, we are intimately familiar with everything that can risk worker safety during a data center’s construction. We also understand how it can impact you as an employer, in terms of business continuity, finances, and reputation.
We provide you with knowledgeable and experienced occupational doctors who can efficiently handle a variety of injuries. For data center worker safety, you can connect with them remotely, get all the help required, and even prevent recordable incidents. Our special first aid kits and employee training software can also trigger positive change.
Keen to learn more about data center safety best practices? Contact us for a detailed consultation about workforce occupational health.
Call (800) 359-5020 for prompt injury handling. For any other queries, we are reachable at (651) 323-8654 or info@workpartnersusa.com.
