Data Center Safety: Guide to Protect Your Assets & Personnel

The world we live in has become a digital landscape. As a result, data centers are now the lifeblood of businesses. They store and process critical data that powers organizations all over the world. However, with great power comes great responsibility.

With such an essential role, making sure those facilities are safe isn’t just a priority – it’s a necessity. 

When it comes to data center safety, it is about protecting your assets just as much as protecting your staff.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the most common risks you need to consider during the construction of your data centers, talking about safety guidelines, best practices, and more. Ultimately, we will help you understand and manage data center safety. Let’s begin.

Common Risks and Threats During Data Center Construction

As of 2024, there are more than 5,300 data centers in the US. And demand for data centers keeps on growing. This introduces a risk related to the construction phase of data centers.

There is a unique array of vulnerabilities and data center safety challenges that come hand in hand with data center construction. These risks need to be carefully managed, to say the least.

Let’s talk about the 4 most common risks you might face when building a data center. 

Fire and Electrical Hazards

Fire and electricity are some of the most hazardous factors of data center construction safety. In fact, a fire department responds to a fire every 21 seconds. The rates were 0.2 fire deaths and 0.3 explosion deaths per 100,000 construction workers. For all construction, there was an average of 1,071 deaths annually.

The risk of fires stemming from temporary wiring or incomplete electrical systems is high, especially with flammable materials around. 

This is where construction heat safety protocols enter the field. There are also specific energy control protocols in place to make your data center safer. 

If these risks and hazards are proactively managed, it can prevent catastrophic events. So, data center fire safety is a huge part of protecting your data, assets, and personnel.

Cooling System Installation Failures

The next common hazard in data center construction is the installation failures of cooling systems. If there are errors during installation, it can compromise your data center safety through leaks, system malfunctions, and even equipment damage. 

All of these incidents take time to repair, and if you can prevent these delays without jeopardizing your facility’s functionality or the health of your staff, why not do it from the get-go?

To put this into perspective, let’s talk about an example where an employee has gotten hurt. While checking the operating pressure of a closed-loop heating and cooling system, an expansion joint failed, leaving the employee with back, arm, and neck burns.

Servers and other equipment you use in your data center are going to have a high heat output. To avoid any extra costs and incidents, you need to make sure to install and thoroughly test your cooling systems.

Physical Security Threats

Another one of the most common data center safety hazards is physical security threats during your construction phase. These can include unauthorized access, theft, vandalism, etc. 

Installing robust physical security measures like fencing, surveillance, and even security personnel can be a great way to protect your site and its valuable assets. 

Additionally, you should beware of slips, trips, and falls that can put your employees in harm’s way. Unfortunately, construction workers are most at risk for fatal falls from heights. Wearing slip-resistant shoes can help but you should also know that falls are 100% preventable.

Operational Risks and Human Error

Finally, let’s talk about the human error hazard when building your data center. It is still one of the most prevalent issues in construction site safety, so managing it should be high up on your to-do list.

Things like installing critical systems incorrectly or making procedural mistakes can take a long time to fix and can leave your personnel at risk of injuries. These injuries can take time to heal, which can affect your productivity and lead to extra workers’ compensation costs. 

If there’s a way you can avoid incurring the cost of workplace injuries, it’s with the help of safety protocols. That’s why training your personnel and following safety guidelines is imperative here.

Understanding these risks is your first step toward creating a safer construction environment for data centers. Anticipate the threats, mitigate them, and your facility will be built to the highest standards of safety and reliability.

Data Center Safety Guidelines

Making sure your data center site stays safe is about prevention. Now that you know the most common hazards that can occur, you can easily create a working environment that avoids such issues. 

From following industry standards to holding regular data center risk assessments, the safety of your assets and personnel on the data center construction site is in your hands.

There are many different data center safety guidelines you can follow, including OSHA requirements. So, let’s talk about the 6 key points you need to cover in your data center safety checklist to ensure the health and wellbeing of your workforce. 

Adhere to Industry Standards

Starting off the data center safety guidelines you should follow, let’s talk about industry standards. To make sure you are doing effective construction safety management, you must adhere to standards like: 

• ANSI/TIA-942 for data centers
• ISO/IEC 27001 for information security management systems
• NFPA 75 for the fire protection of IT equipment

In general, these standards provide frameworks that manage data center design, operations, and safety.

Another priority you should consider in terms of industry standards is compliance with local and international regulations. They won’t just keep you on the legal side of things but will also maintain your operational integrity.

Conduct Thorough Risk Assessments

Next up, you must hold regular risk assessments for data center construction sites, measuring risks like fire, electrical failures, cooling system malfunctions, as well as physical security threats.

Aside from assessing the existence of these risks, you also need to evaluate the impact and likelihood using assessment tools and techniques. 

After assessing and evaluating your risks, you need to find ways to mitigate them. It is simply a solid workplace injury management precaution. Prioritize and address the most critical risks first. 

Implement Comprehensive Safety Protocols

To manage your data center risks in the best way possible, you need to implement and enforce safety protocols. They should cover everything from maintenance checks and equipment handling to emergency procedures. 

Next, it is highly recommended to regularly review and enforce these data center safety procedures to make sure you stay compliant, prevent workplace injuries, and address procedural gaps should they come up.

Additionally, it is a good idea to hold safety drills and training sessions on occasion to keep your safety procedures and personnel in check.

Establish Robust Emergency Preparedness

Proactivity is key when it comes to data center safety. That’s why having a comprehensive emergency protocol is highly beneficial in managing potential crises.

To start, you should develop a thorough emergency plan that clearly covers different types of incidents, including:

• Fires
• Cooling failures
• Slips, trips, and falls

Once you have a plan in place, you need to train all your personnel in emergency response procedures. When, who, and how should they involve industrial medical services? This way, they can act quickly to mitigate any threats.

Finally, you need to regularly test your emergency plan by holding drills and simulations. 

On an ongoing basis, make sure to update your plan based on any changes in your data center environment, as well as the feedback you receive.

Pro tip: Onsite healthcare solutions can help you manage potential risks to your assets or personnel and minimize disruptions in the most cost-effective way.

Monitor and Review Safety Practices

Your data center risk management is not a set-it-and-forget-it type of process. You must continuously monitor and review your safety practices regarding environmental conditions, equipment status, and security measures. Using real-time monitoring tools can come in handy here.

During your safety performance reviews and incident reports, you will find areas of improvement. This information should be used to update your safety measures.

Don’t forget to implement best practices and stay up to date with technological advancements. Ultimately, you will make sure that your data center remains resilient and safe.

Promote a Safety Culture

Last but not least, your safety guidelines shouldn’t simply remain on a piece of paper. Through your protocols, you should promote an internal safety culture. 

Fostering a culture of safety in the workplace can be done through spreading awareness and encouraging communication about any safety concerns that come up. 

Make sure that your personnel get all the necessary training and resources to effectively keep up with data center safety standards.

It is also an industry best practice to recognize the safety efforts you see from your staff. You need to acknowledge and reward the employees who contribute to the maintenance and improvement of your safety practices.

Conclusion

Data center safety is key to your success. Keeping your assets and personnel is a continuous process that needs management and commitment. Best practices and industry standards should be upheld.

You can understand the risks in your data centers through regular assessments and drills. Not only will this keep your data center safe, but it will also promote a culture of safety that can proactively save you valuable time and resources.

From comprehensive safety protocols to emergency preparedness plans, there are many ways to keep up the safety in your data centers. Apply the insights and recommendations we mentioned above to improve your own safety measures.

If you are looking for better ways to manage your data center safety, don’t hesitate to involve expert help from providers like JobSiteCare. With our comprehensive injury management solutions, we can support your facility through physician-led telemedicine, workers’ compensation cost control, and on-site health solutions. 

Understand the risks in your data center construction site by completing our risk assessment quiz and reach out if you need any sort of guidance. Good luck and stay safe!

Frequently Asked Questions