As data centres scale to power the AI era, it’s not just megawatts and PUE that matter – it’s whether the people building them can keep going, writes Shane Moore.
Technology companies are building data centres in many markets faster than ever to feed a seemingly insatiable hunger for digital infrastructure. But as these facilities grow in scale and technical complexity, one of the fundamental metrics of success for senior leaders isn’t just ‘Power Usage Effectiveness’ – it is the stability of the people delivering them.
The rush for capacity has reached an inflexion point. With policymakers and industry projecting multi-gigawatt growth in AI-capable capacity by 2030, the pressure on the UK’s data-centre corridors is immense. In this race for power, however, the human engine is showing signs of fatigue.
Recent HSE data reveal a stark reality: work-related stress, depression, or anxiety now accounts for 52% of all work-related ill health in Great Britain.
The architecture of pressure
Data centre construction is often characterised by “compression” traps. Large-scale builds involving deep foundations, high-voltage infrastructure, and sophisticated liquid cooling are frequently delivered on extended or 24-hour cycles to meet aggressive “Go-Live” dates. The pressure is always on.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports that work-related ill health and injury led to an estimated 40.1 million working days lost in 2024/25. While Great Britain is consistently among the safer countries for workplace fatality rates, recent years have seen less dramatic improvement in traditional safety metrics.
The financial implications are as significant as the human ones: the annual cost of workplace injury and new cases of work-related ill health is estimated at £22.9 billion. For a developer, these figures represent disrupted operations, lost productivity, and the looming risk of regulatory intervention.
Navigating the regulatory landscape
Despite the technical shift toward high-density facilities, the legal foundation remains constant. Construction work in Great Britain is governed by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which mandates that employers protect the health, safety, and welfare of their workforce “so far as is reasonably practicable.”
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) provide the operational framework for this duty. Under CDM 2015, the Client’s role is critical. The Client must make suitable arrangements for managing the project, ensuring that other dutyholders, such as the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor, are appointed and have the time, resources, and information they need to carry out their duties.
True “design-for-safety” in a data centre context means addressing hazards before they arrive on site:
- Electrical coordination: Managing high-voltage systems and battery installations during complex energisation sequences.
- Mechanical interfaces: Ensuring safe access for the maintenance of large-scale cooling towers and HVAC systems.
- Logistical clarity: Coordinating the high volume of specialist vendors and international suppliers that converge on these high-density sites.
Beyond the wellness app
In an industry prone to “macho” cultures, the answer to the mental health bottleneck isn’t a simple wellness app; it is genuine organisational change. A project in which workers are regularly injured or become ill fosters a cynical culture that erodes trust between leadership and the workforce.
Sustainable delivery requires a move from reactive monitoring to proactive, technically informed safety leadership. This involves embedding safety into the digital design process, using Building Information Modelling (BIM) and digital tools to identify clashes, plan complex lifts, and ensure safe maintenance access.
A partner in complexity
The world of digital infrastructure is becoming more complex, yet the fundamental legal duties remain. As the industry pivots to more technically advanced facilities, the risk of ‘ambiguity’ becomes a direct commercial threat. Success belongs to those who invest in stability – in their people, systems, and partners.
By treating safety as an integral part of project certainty rather than a bolt-on, organisations can ensure they deliver the capacity the world needs – without losing the people who build it.
- Shane Moore is CEO of Derby-based QSC Safety Consultants, which has spent more than 30 years helping blue-chip industrial and manufacturing clients manage workplace and building safety across high-risk plants and complex estates.
