Emergency safety showers—a must for data centres

They may seem harmless, but data centres can pose significant risks to workers just as chemical plants and construction sites can. An emergency safety shower and eyewash unit is an essential piece of equipment that anyone involved in planning or operating a data centre needs to consider. Let’s take a look at why.

Safety Showers and the risk of battery leakage in data centres

Lead-acid and lithium batteries are commonly used in data centres. Should an employee be exposed to acid or other leakages from these batteries, it is vital that they can decontaminate themselves as soon as possible. As such, having an emergency safety shower on site is essential.

Safety Showers and the risk of refrigerants in data centres

Data centres employ a lot of coolants/refrigerants to keep their servers at the optimal temperature. Now, while that’s healthy for the servers, such substances are most definitely not healthy for people should there be a leakage. Any employee exposed to leaked coolant/refrigerant should be brought to an emergency safety shower immediately for decontamination.

Are there standards that govern safety showers?

Yes, there are two main standards that govern emergency safety showers.

These are:

• the European Standard, EN15154.

• the American National Standard, ANSI/ISEA Z358.1-2014 (this is generally followed worldwide)

For more information on the best safety shower solution for your data centre project, contact our safety shower experts on 021 484 1370 (Cork) or 0402 32116 (Arklow). You can also email us at sales@mahealy.ie. We are authorised distributors for the Hughes Safety Shower & Eye Wash Unit range in the Republic of Ireland.

We are also happy to advise on additional PPE needs for your data centre through our sister company, M.A. Healy & Sons Ltd. - the Safety Specialists.