Enterprise Data Center Design and Methodology

Chapter 11. Avoiding Hazards

“The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in, a meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin, a nuclear error, but I have no fear.”

—The Clash

Potential hazards in a data center can range from mildly inconvenient to devastating. Some are difficult to avoid, but knowing what the potential hazards are in the data center area is the first step in preparing to avoid or combat them.

This chapter contains the following sections:

• “Types of Hazards”

• “Personnel Health and Safety”

• “Fire”

• “Flooding”

• “Earthquakes”

• “Miscellaneous Disasters”

• “Security Problems”

• “Noise Problems”