Every year, on April 28th, the world celebrates World Day for Safety and Health at Work. The day was established by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2003 with the twin goals of raising awareness about the magnitude of work-related injuries, illnesses, and highlighting how a culture of safety and health can help reduce these tragic incidents. With the rapid growth of the data center industry safeguarding the health and safety of workers on the construction site and in daily operations has become paramount.
Why Safety Matters in Data Centers
Data centers today have grown exponentially, in size and complexity. Building data centers demands precision, meticulous planning, and an unwavering focus on quality and safety. Safety is not simply a check-in-the-box; it’s a continuous commitment and should be woven into every aspect of construction and daily operations.
“The discipline to maintain a secure workplace environment across all corners of the globe sets EdgeConneX apart. This commitment is not just a responsibility; it’s a badge of honor we proudly wear as we serve the world’s leading cloud, network, and AI companies. At EdgeConneX, safety isn’t just a priority, it’s a core value in our DNA that fuels our success.” – Brian Green, SVP Operations, Engineering and Project Management, EdgeConneX
“As EdgeConneX continues to expand its global footprint, our unwavering commitment to safeguarding our most valuable asset—our people—remains steadfast. In an industry where excellence is expected, we recognize that our customers demand the highest safety practices and standards. This expectation aligns with our core belief that safety is fundamental to every aspect of our construction development, expansions, and day-to-day operations.” – Jackson Menke, Director of Construction Safety, EdgeConneX
We understand a strong safety culture directly translates to greater employee productivity, improved customer satisfaction, and reduced remediation costs. Our commitment to safety translates into robust programs that aim to:
- Prevent accidents: Our facilities have extensive safety policies and procedures to help prevent accidents.
- Minimize incidents: We continuously monitor and improve our safety practices to minimize incidents.
- Promote a culture of safety: We train and empower employees at all levels to identify and address potential risks.
Training Together, Ensuring Collective Safety
EdgeConneX offers a GlobalConneX Data Center Training Program to comprehensively train employees and partners in all aspects of data center operations, engineering, sales, and management, ensuring high-quality service for customers. The training program includes hands-on experience in a live data center environment, specialized training by subject matter experts, and technical training on IT/security, mechanical/electrical systems, and sustainable practices aligning with our core values. This equips teams to create efficient, sustainable, and safe data centers, driving efficiency and sustainability goals forward, promotes cultural diversity, and fosters relationships through networking and team-building activities.
This blend of theoretical knowledge and real-world application equips our teams to create efficient, sustainable, and safe data centers, driving efficiency and sustainability goals forward.
Read our blog on how safety in data center operations is part of our DNA HERE.
Excellence in Action: AdaniConneX
AdaniConneX, our partner in India, has been recognized for its excellence and commitment to quality, innovation, and zero-harm. In the past few months, they have won prestigious awards for professional management, ESG implementation, and safety standards.
- Recognized as the Best Professionally Managed Company at the prestigious 15th Vishwakarma Awards by the Construction Industry Development Council.
- Received the Gold award by Skoch Group under the ESG category for the implementation of one of its kind, ’Safety Analytics Tool: Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Real Time Monitoring System.’
- AdaniConneX’s Hyderabad site is the first data center in India to have achieved a five-star grade in the British Safety Council Occupational Health and Safety Audit.
- AdaniConneX‘s Hyderabad construction site has earned the prestigious OHSSAI HSE Gold Award, recognizing the company’s commitment to safety excellence and setting new industry standards.
- AdaniConneX’s Chennai DC1 project has achieved ISO/IEC 17020 and NBC quality certification from CQRA, placing it in the “Very Good” category and aligning with the stringent Quality norms set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO/IEC: 17020) and National Building Code (NBC).
In addition, AdaniConneX has introduced a groundbreaking tool – a new virtual reality training program for workers’ safety – meant to improve safety, efficiency, and collaboration on data center construction sites. This new tool integrates traditional training methods with cutting-edge VR technology to ensure higher safety preparedness on site.
Watch the video on the state-of-the-art Virtual Reality (VR) training program below:
As we commemorate World Day for Safety and Health at Work, let us renew our collective pledge to prioritize the safety and health of every worker in the data center industry. Together, we can realize our vision of zero harm by cultivating a robust safety culture.