4 ms·

Opening line: "Data centers.....can be hazardous places for the workers...." In the list of "possible jobs to have", data centers are comparatively sterile. L

Opening line: "Data centers.....can be hazardous places for the workers...." In the list of "possible jobs to have", data centers are comparatively sterile. Loud? Yes. Lonely? Yes. Vast? Yes. Hazardous? That's a stretch.

hn_version_0023 4y ago
Having worked in MS's DCs, they are, in fact, hazardous. They absolutely push the limits on heat exposure for humans -- those hot aisles are HOT, and we all carried heat index alarms as a result. Further, I think its weird you don't think of the sound as a hazard. When its so loud you must wear 30+NRR hearing protection, it sure seems like a hazard to me.
- Group_B 4y ago
  Sounds like as long as you follow basic protocol it isn’t really hazardous.
  - hllooo 4y ago
    requiring special safety equipment seems like a pretty good place to draw the line...
  - hn_version_0023 4y ago
    As long as you follow basic protocol your outcome won't involve injury. The hazard remains, and is the reason the protocol exists.
- nsheridan 4y ago
  Not to mention fire suppression systems and electrical risks.
- userbinator 4y ago
  They absolutely push the limits on heat exposure for humans That sounds very different from my experience (not with MS DCs) --- where it was loud (though not quite as loud as e.g. an automotive shop) and windy, but the temperature was kept at a controlled 68F (20C) and alerts were raised if it got even slightly hotter than that. Yes, I suppose there is more risk than sitting at a desk all day, but I think the parent is comparing it to many other jobs like those in the heavy equipment industry, mining, farming, petro, etc.
  - hn_version_0023 4y ago
    I'd agree its very different even from my own experience at other data centers. MS really were pushing it in the locations I worked. In early May, the hot aisles were already topping 112F! Given that, the policy in place was, IIRC, 15 minutes of work w/ a mandatory 45m break & fluid consumption. Certainly there are riskier jobs. Certainly, by and large, data centers are safe places to work. But they are not without hazards and I (obviously) find it irksome when those hazards are dismissed so easily.
  - dekhn 4y ago
    Keeping data centers at 68F is a huge waste of power. It makes perfect sense to run them at the limit of what humans can tolerate (but no further).
eCa 4y ago
I had a lonely server at another datacenter of former webhost ThePlanet when things exploded[1] back in 2008. So, while rare, there are risks. [1] https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2008/06/01/explosion-at-the-planet-causes-major-outage https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2008/06/01/expl...
jeffbee 4y ago
Electricians are expected to work on and around live loads in datacenters regularly. It's probably a lot more dangerous than whatever you do.
_greim_ 4y ago
I've toured power plants, both hydro and coal, which are dangerous places. On a scale of 1-10 with a corporate office being 1 and a power plant being 10, I'd have rated a data center at 1. But now having seen the inside of one, I'd rate it more like 3 or 4. The biggest danger is the high voltage, but there are more mundane dangers like hearing loss, heavy equipment, heat, room-pressure, holes in the floor, etc. It's an industrial facility for sure, and PPE and safety procedures are a BIG DEAL for the workers.

hn_version_0023 4y ago

Having worked in MS's DCs, they are, in fact, hazardous. They absolutely push the limits on heat exposure for humans -- those hot aisles are HOT, and we all carried heat index alarms as a result. Further, I think its weird you don't think of the sound as a hazard. When its so loud you must wear 30+NRR hearing protection, it sure seems like a hazard to me.

Group_B 4y ago
Sounds like as long as you follow basic protocol it isn’t really hazardous.
- hllooo 4y ago
  requiring special safety equipment seems like a pretty good place to draw the line...
- hn_version_0023 4y ago
  As long as you follow basic protocol your outcome won't involve injury. The hazard remains, and is the reason the protocol exists.
nsheridan 4y ago
Not to mention fire suppression systems and electrical risks.
userbinator 4y ago
They absolutely push the limits on heat exposure for humans That sounds very different from my experience (not with MS DCs) --- where it was loud (though not quite as loud as e.g. an automotive shop) and windy, but the temperature was kept at a controlled 68F (20C) and alerts were raised if it got even slightly hotter than that. Yes, I suppose there is more risk than sitting at a desk all day, but I think the parent is comparing it to many other jobs like those in the heavy equipment industry, mining, farming, petro, etc.
- hn_version_0023 4y ago
  I'd agree its very different even from my own experience at other data centers. MS really were pushing it in the locations I worked. In early May, the hot aisles were already topping 112F! Given that, the policy in place was, IIRC, 15 minutes of work w/ a mandatory 45m break & fluid consumption. Certainly there are riskier jobs. Certainly, by and large, data centers are safe places to work. But they are not without hazards and I (obviously) find it irksome when those hazards are dismissed so easily.
- dekhn 4y ago
  Keeping data centers at 68F is a huge waste of power. It makes perfect sense to run them at the limit of what humans can tolerate (but no further).

eCa 4y ago

I had a lonely server at another datacenter of former webhost ThePlanet when things exploded[1] back in 2008. So, while rare, there are risks. [1] https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2008/06/01/explosion-at-the-planet-causes-major-outage https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2008/06/01/expl...

jeffbee 4y ago

Electricians are expected to work on and around live loads in datacenters regularly. It's probably a lot more dangerous than whatever you do.

_greim_ 4y ago

I've toured power plants, both hydro and coal, which are dangerous places. On a scale of 1-10 with a corporate office being 1 and a power plant being 10, I'd have rated a data center at 1. But now having seen the inside of one, I'd rate it more like 3 or 4. The biggest danger is the high voltage, but there are more mundane dangers like hearing loss, heavy equipment, heat, room-pressure, holes in the floor, etc. It's an industrial facility for sure, and PPE and safety procedures are a BIG DEAL for the workers.