Data Center Construction Raises Confined Space Safety Considerations
Electrical and mechanical spaces on rapidly expanding data center projects can present access, ventilation and rescue challenges that require careful hazard evaluation.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Oct 09, 2026
The rapid expansion of data center construction is creating complex work environments where employers may need to evaluate electrical and mechanical areas for confined space hazards.
Electrical rooms, vaults and other equipment spaces can present restricted access, ventilation concerns and other hazards as construction progresses. However, an electrical room is not automatically considered a confined space under OSHA requirements.
Under OSHA's construction confined spaces standard, employers must have a competent person identify confined spaces in which workers may perform work and determine whether any qualify as permit-required confined spaces. A permit space may contain hazardous atmospheres, engulfment hazards, configurations that could trap or asphyxiate workers or other recognized serious safety hazards.
Conditions can also change throughout a data center construction project as electrical, cooling and other infrastructure is installed. Employers must reevaluate a space when changes in its use or configuration could increase hazards to workers.
For projects involving multiple employers, OSHA also requires coordination among host employers, controlling contractors and entry employers regarding permit-space hazards and entry operations.
The requirements make early identification, communication and planning important as contractors move through different phases of data center construction.
About the Author
Stasia DeMarco is the content editor of Occupational Health & Safety.