Before a Server Move, Consider all Workplace Safety Variables

Servers have to be transported from time to time. The following costs must be taken into consideration.

When conducting a server move, there are many variables to consider. Two of the most important variables include the costs of a server move and the best location to move.

With so much emphasis placed on cost most data center professionals overlook safety as a variable.

In order to make data centers more secure, IT professionals need to take a multi-pronged approach to promoting workplace safety.

When moving IT hardware, many data centers rely on several employees and manual labor. The inherent problem with this approach is that a person is at serious risk for an injury even when lifting only 50lbs of equipment.

Why Automated Server Lifts are Safer

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends relying on mechanical tools like fully automated lifts to ensure safe lifting practices for any equipment weighing more than 50 lbs. While this information is widely available, it is still not the norm with more than 86 percent of survey respondents manually lifting hardware 50 pounds or more.

Why do data center operators rely on manual means when lifting heavy and expensive IT equipment? An engineer at Loss Control Centre Belguim, Johan Roels, stated that all companies need to first consider all the variables behind these workplace safety problems before implementing any solutions.

What are the chances of dropping missing-critical hardware?

Data center professionals face the risk of dropping mission-critical IT hardware on a daily basis. This poses a big threat to data loss, and more importantly the safety of the individuals handling the equipment. A 2012 report found that more than 65 percent of those surveyed had damaged IT hardware in the past, and more than 52 percent had sustained an injury at work. To back up this study, the statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor expressed that shoulder and back issues are the cause of more than 36 percent of the injuries that lead to lost work time. OSHA also noted manually handling heavy equipment causes about 80 percent of the back-related workers’ compensation claims.

All members of a team, including management, must be on the same page when it comes to safety, and often some of the easiest methods to implement are often overlooked. One of the easiest ways a business can mediate all related fears during a server move is by removing the risk associated with manual lifting and utilizing a fully powered server lift. With the proper planning and procedures in place, a company can be sure that their entire bases are covered when it comes to safety in the workplace.

By David Zuckerman