Recently, EdgeConneX convened a pivotal Safety Summit, uniting employees, partners, and customers under the resonant theme “One Team, One Mission“. This gathering was more than a conference; it was a clarion call to enhance EdgeConneX world-class safety culture, ensuring the well-being of everyone involved—from those constructing data centers to those operating and maintaining them daily.
Summit Goals: A Unified Approach to Safety
The summit was a platform to reinforce the principles that have always driven EdgeConneX: Collaboration and Excellence in Safety. The primary objectives were clear:
Strengthen partnerships - Ensure the collective team design sand operates data centers safely
- Scale operations sustainably to meet increasing demands, particularly the high-density requirements of AI workloads
- Efficiently and safely meet our customers’ requirements
In addition, emphasizing Mental Health and Well-being as a part of our Safety focus, the EdgeConneX team underscored that Safety is not confined to construction sites but extends to every person in every role across the company.
Jackson Menke, Director of Construction Safety at EdgeConneX and a leading voice at the summit, articulated the essence of Safety at EdgeConneX:
“Safety is about people. Know the whys of those you work with. Develop trust.” His words reinforced the belief that Safety is a personal responsibility and a cornerstone of good business. “Our customers will stay with us based on how well we treat our people and how safe we operate,” Jackson continued, highlighting the intrinsic link between Safety practices and customer loyalty.
Tools and Certification for a Safer Future
The EdgeConneX Safety Summit also allowed us to highlight our investment in advanced tools like DataScope, which provides on-site management solutions to optimize field operations and plan, manage, and track team performance. This sophisticated technology rolled out across EdgeConneX global data center footprint, enhances operational efficiency and maximizes Safety by providing real-time data that helps preempt potential hazards. Another critical tool utilized is Velocity EHS, which streamlines incident reporting and resolution. These technologies are integral to EdgeConneX vision of cultivating a learning safety culture. Further, EdgeConneX pursuing ISO 45001 certification marks a significant step in organizing and enhancing our global safety and management systems.
Collaborative Presentations and Achievements
A crucial part of the Safety Summit was the collaboration with partners such as Winthrop Technologies, who presented an in-depth analysis of incident anatomy, providing invaluable insights to prevent future occurrences. With a multilingual workforce, EdgeConneX remains committed to clear written and verbal communication at all job sites to over communicate and work to uphold safety standards globally.
BCEI played an instrumental role as a critical partner, sending several members from their executive team to the event, along with their EHS director, safety team members, construction managers, and senior field leadership. Their team led an insightful workshop that focused on identifying potential future accidents and strategizing on proactive measures to prevent them. This collaborative effort underscored the commitment of both EdgeConneX and BCEI to fostering a culture of safety and prevention. Through such initiatives, they aim to enhance safety protocols and ensure a secure environment for all involved.
Major Milestone: The team also recently celebrated a remarkable Safety milestone for one of our Jakarta data centers, noting that the massive construction project reached 4.5 million hours without a Lost-Time-Injury (LTI). This achievement was lauded, yet EdgeConneX remains dedicated to continuous improvement, focusing on daily safety commitments.
Empowerment through ‘Stop Work Authority’
This initiative encourages team members to halt activities that pose risks, fostering a proactive Safety culture. The idea is if a person sees something that puts someone or the project at risk, you are empowered to stop whatever activity and collaborate to put a new way forward, a different approach.
As Jackson emphasized, “Care enough. Be brave enough to take that interaction to heart and have that discussion.”
A Collective Commitment to Safety
The Safety Summit concluded with a reaffirmation of EdgeConneX commitment to be a beacon of Safety excellence, leverage collective knowledge, and demonstrate unwavering dedication to Safety daily. Together, as “One Team, One Mission“, EdgeConneX is poised to set new standards in Safety, ensuring a secure and sustainable future for our Customers, People, and Planet.
To learn more about EdgeConneX Safety mission and our initiatives, please check out these safety resources: