Explore the Agenda
8:00 am Coffee & Networking
8:30 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Maintaining Safe Operations for Emerging Technologies & Building Systems
8:40 am Panel: Shaping EHS Strategies that Evolve with Emerging Technologies & Building Systems to Keep Pace with Modernization of Data Centers
- Ensuring company EHS protocols adapt seamlessly to new technologies and operational requirements to manage adoption of evolving systems without creating gaps
- Navigating transitions such as longer-duration battery energy storage systems to minimize environmental impact of e-waste and implement procedures to address new health and safety risks
- Anticipating potential risks that new systems such as liquid cooling present to develop EHS procedures that mitigate these risks
9:20 am Case Study: Establishing Concrete Safety Standards for Energized Work to Safeguard Workers & Systems, & Maximize Uptime
- Defining clear criteria for energized work that maintains OSHA and NFPA compliance to safeguard personnel and prevent unnecessary exposure to electrical hazards
- Reviewing procedures such as MOPS to make sure technicians clearly understand how to safely execute tasks to reduce the risk of ARC flashes or outages
- Maintaining accurate asset and power-path mapping to plan safe energized work
- Familiarizing all data center employees, contractors, and first responders on emergency response protocols to stay prepared in the case of an emergency
10:00 am Morning Refreshments
Improving EHS Across an Asset’s Lifecyle
10:40 am Case Study: Planning Retrofits in Live Facilities to Balance Safety & Uptime
- Clearly defining ownership and reporting lines for contractors, vendors and tenant personnel during retrofit projects to avoid confusion and ensure EHS compliance
- Standardizing orientation, site access, and safety procedures for all parties entering an operational data center during retrofits to maintain consistent safety practices
- Implementing material handling, storage, and housekeeping protocols in tight retrofit spaces to minimize hazards from congested work areas and overlapping activities
11:20 am Audience Discussion: Establishing Strict Inspection & Maintenance Protocols to Reduce Ambiguity around Safety of Equipment & Reduce Downtime
- Discussing maintenance expectations across facilities to reduce variability, prevent forced de-energization, and minimize unplanned outages
- Increasing visibility into equipment condition and maintenance status to accurately assess risk and avoid working “blind” around degraded assets
- Creating regulatory inspection and maintenance intervals to ensure critical electrical and mechanical systems operate as designed and remain safe to work on
12:00 pm Lunch Break
Aligning Vendors & Teams to Drive Consistency of EHS Practices
1:00 pm Managing EHS Risk in Multi-Tenant Environments to Maintain Standardized Processes
- Implementing strict access controls and custody transfer protocols to avoid accidental switching or interference with live systems
- Clarifying overlapping responsibilities for tasks such as energization checks and defining ownership between contractors and operations teams to prevent confusion and ensure accountability for mission-critical tasks
- Creating joint communication protocols for shared spaces to ensure real-time updates on active work zones and prevent accidental interference
1:40 pm Standardizing Communication Protocols with Vendors & Suppliers to Improve Clarity of Responsibilities & Alignment on EHS Expectations
- Enhancing vendor and supplier qualification processes to ensure only capable partners are engaged and qualified to work in your facilities
- Establishing clear ownership and accountability for tasks between site teams, vendors and suppliers to prevent gaps in EHS responsibilities
- Leveraging standardized documentation and meeting protocols to track decisions, assignments, and follow-ups, ensuring alignment and reducing miscommunication risks
2:20 pm Audience Breakout: Driving Role-Specific EHS Solutions to Enhance Compliance and Elevate Operational Consistency
This session will divide attendees into focused groups to share insights and address role-specific challenges in EHS across Environment, Health, and Safety. Build a clearer understanding of EHS in the remit most applicable to you and drive collective solutions for reducing risk, strengthening compliance, and improving safety performance for all responsibilities of EHS.