The Hidden Safety Crisis Powering AI: What We’re Ignoring in the Data Center Boom

As the global AI boom accelerates, data centers are multiplying — and so are the overlooked risks to the people who keep them running, from heat and chemicals to fatigue and stress.

• By Shawn M. Galloway
• Oct 24, 2025

As artificial intelligence drives a rapid expansion of data centers worldwide, a new frontier of occupational safety hazards is emerging — one that remains largely hidden behind the hum of servers and the pursuit of uptime.

The global demand for AI has triggered one of the largest infrastructure booms in modern history. Vast facilities now consume enormous amounts of electricity and water to power digital growth. But amid the excitement about innovation and efficiency, critical safety concerns are being overlooked — and workers are paying the price.

People Behind the Power

Inside hyperscale data centers, environments are engineered for uptime, not people. Technicians, electricians, HVAC specialists, and contractors who keep these facilities running face escalating risks: high heat zones exceeding 100 °F, high-voltage systems carrying megawatts of power, and liquid-cooling systems under pressure. Add continuous ventilation noise, refrigerants, dielectric fluids, and the isolation of lone work, and a clear picture emerges — facilities optimized for machines are often punishing for humans.

The Invisible Hazards

Many of these dangers are invisible until damage is done. Heat stress can strike before symptoms are recognized. Noise exposure above 85 dBA builds hearing loss slowly. Leaks of coolants or pressurized fluids may go unnoticed until it’s too late.

While AI-powered systems now predict equipment failures, few are designed to track human exposures or worker fatigue. The irony is stark: the industry leading the intelligence revolution is often blind to the toll it takes on its own workforce.

Beyond physical hazards, psychological strain is also increasing. Technicians work under constant pressure to avoid costly downtime, with human performance treated as a system variable rather than a health factor.

When Energy and AI Collide

The AI boom is also reshaping the energy landscape. Utilities are racing to deliver gigawatts to new server farms, expanding substations, battery storage, and backup systems. This convergence of digital and electrical infrastructure creates hybrid risks that fall between regulatory categories.

Electrical hazards are advancing faster than safety standards. Maintenance on energized equipment heightens arc-flash potential, and construction deadlines can encourage unsafe shortcuts. Liquid immersion cooling and new heat-reuse systems bring unfamiliar chemical and mechanical dangers — yet the focus remains on energy efficiency, not worker protection.

Safety Innovation Lagging Behind

Many data centers operate in a gray zone between commercial and industrial regulation, meaning they may escape the scrutiny applied to traditional heavy industries. Audits often prioritize uptime metrics over ergonomic or psychosocial risks. Contractors, who perform much of the hazardous work, frequently face inconsistent oversight and training standards.

The Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) community has long prided itself on anticipating the next risk frontier. But in the race to build AI infrastructure, the response has been reactive rather than preventive. Unless priorities shift, the human cost of the AI revolution could rival its environmental and ethical debates.

What Must Change

• Design for people, not just uptime. Integrate safety — including thermal mapping, access planning, and noise control — from the earliest design stage.
• Use AI for EHS. The same algorithms that predict hardware failures can forecast heat stress or gas exposure when paired with human analytics.
• Set standards for emerging technologies. Immersion cooling, large battery arrays, and high-pressure systems require clear codes and best practices.
• Ensure contractor parity. Extend equal training, PPE, and reporting rights to all workers, not just direct employees.
• Rebuild safety culture. Reward early reporting and vigilance, not just injury-free records.

A Human-Centered Future

The AI revolution doesn’t just need more computing power — it needs a stronger safety culture. Data centers with robust worker protections are often the most reliable, because resilience starts with people.

Algorithms can optimize systems, but they can’t care. Vigilance, empathy, and proactive leadership remain fundamentally human. As the industry races toward faster processing and smarter machines, it must also ensure the safety of the humans keeping those machines alive.