Data Centre Capacity is Growing. What About Safety Capacity?

Everyone is talking about data centre capacity, but is enough attention being given to the people and expertise needed to deliver it safely?

In this article, Jess Plested, Head of Client Services, EMEA, Shirley Parsons, explores why safety capacity could become one of the industry’s biggest priorities, and why HSEQ capability needs to be planned alongside power, land and construction resources.

Data centres have become one of the defining infrastructure stories of the decade. Demand for cloud computing, digital services and artificial intelligence is driving unprecedented investment in new capacity. Across Europe, developers and operators are working to secure land, power, grid connections, equipment and construction resources – often while managing increasingly demanding project timelines. The conversation understandably focuses on megawatts.

How much capacity can be delivered? Where will the power come from? How quickly can a site become operational?

But there is another form of capacity that deserves much more attention: Safety capacity. Building more data centres doesn’t simply require more concrete, steel, electrical infrastructure and power. It requires more people with the experience and capability to manage increasingly complex health, safety, environmental and quality risks.

So, are we building HSEQ capability at the same pace as we are building data-centre capacity?

Europe is scaling, and the challenge is becoming more complex.

The European data-centre market continues to expand rapidly. CBRE expects more than 750MW of new data-centre capacity to be added across Europe during 2026, despite continuing constraints around power and project delivery. Its latest figures indicate that the total European market is expected to reach approximately 13GW by the end of 2026, representing 20% growth compared with 2025.

At the same time, AI is changing the requirements of that infrastructure. CBRE notes that power-density requirements are increasing for AI applications, while grid congestion and lengthy connection times continue to constrain development.

The implication is straightforward: Data-centre projects are becoming larger, faster and more technically demanding.

And that changes the HSEQ challenge. The safety challenge isn’t simply “more construction”

Data-centre construction involves many of the hazards associated with major infrastructure projects: work at height, lifting operations, temporary works, excavation, logistics, plant and machinery, confined spaces and electrical systems. EU-OSHA identifies falls, moving vehicles, electricity, machinery, excavation and confined spaces among the significant construction risks. In 2023, construction accounted for 23% of all fatal workplace accidents in the EU. Data-centre projects add another layer of complexity.

A hyperscale facility can bring together:

large numbers of contractors and subcontractors;
complex electrical and mechanical systems;
high-voltage infrastructure;
generators and backup power;
battery systems;
sophisticated cooling infrastructure;
extensive material movements;
commissioning activities; and
simultaneous construction and operational interfaces.

As facilities become increasingly designed around AI and high-density computing, the engineering environment continues to evolve. The HSEQ professional operating in this environment therefore needs to understand more than conventional construction safety. They need to understand the project itself. HSEQ cannot be an afterthought.

One of the most important questions facing data-centre developers isn’t simply: “Who can we put on site?” It is: “What HSEQ capability does this project require and when do we need it?”

Different phases require different capabilities. A senior HSEQ leader may be required early to establish strategy, governance and standards. Construction HSE professionals may then manage day-to-day delivery, contractor interfaces and site risk. Specialists may be required for electrical safety, commissioning, environmental management or quality.

As the facility approaches completion, the focus shifts towards operational readiness, emergency preparedness, training and the transition from construction into operations. Safety capacity therefore needs to be planned in the same way as other project resources.

Building the Data Centre HSEQ talent pipeline.

This isn’t just a European issue. Uptime Institute’s 2025 Global Data Center Survey found that 46% of operators reported difficulty finding qualified candidates for vacant roles, while 37% reported difficulty retaining staff. Electrical and mechanical skills remain among the areas experiencing significant shortages.

For HSEQ teams, the challenge can be particularly nuanced. The most valuable people aren’t necessarily those who simply hold a safety qualification. They are people who can combine:

HSEQ expertise + construction experience + data-centre knowledge + leadership + local regulatory understanding.

That combination is harder to find. And when multiple large projects are competing for the same talent pool, organisations need to think differently about how they build their teams.

Global standards, local requirements.

Europe also presents a unique HSEQ challenge because it isn’t one regulatory environment. A developer working across the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, the Nordics or other European markets needs to understand local requirements while maintaining a coherent corporate approach.

That doesn’t mean creating a different safety philosophy for every country. It means establishing consistent principles while adapting implementation to local requirements.

A global data-centre operator may have one corporate standard for electrical safety, contractor management or incident reporting. But implementation needs to reflect local legislation, language, workforce practices and regulatory expectations. This balance between global consistency and local expertise becomes increasingly important as data-centre portfolios expand geographically.

Safety leadership needs to scale with the project. There can be a temptation in a high-growth environment to view HSEQ primarily as a compliance requirement. But effective HSEQ leadership can help projects:

identify risks earlier;
improve contractor coordination;
establish accountability;
build competence;
strengthen project governance;
manage high-risk activities;
support regulatory compliance; and
prepare effectively for commissioning and operations.

In other words, HSEQ can be an enabler of delivery rather than simply a control function. This becomes particularly important when schedules are under pressure. A project doesn’t become safer simply because a deadline is extended. It becomes safer when the people, processes, competence and leadership required to manage the work are in place.

Perhaps we need to measure safety capacity differently. We are very good at measuring data-centre capacity; MW. GW. Floor space. Rack density. Power availability. Delivery timelines.

But perhaps we should also be asking:

Do we have enough suitably qualified HSEQ professionals to support this pipeline?
Are HSEQ leaders involved early enough in project planning?
Do contractors have sufficient competent safety resources?
Are specialist electrical and commissioning capabilities available when required?
Are organisations developing the next generation of data-centre HSEQ leaders?

These questions don’t have simple answers. But they matter. Capacity is ultimately about people. The data-centre industry is building infrastructure that will underpin everything from cloud computing and financial services to AI and other critical digital services.

The physical infrastructure is extraordinary. But behind every project is a workforce responsible for designing, constructing, commissioning and operating it. That means the industry’s ability to expand safely is constrained not only by power, land and capital, but by people and capability.

The next conversation about data-centre capacity should therefore include another question: Do we have enough safety capacity to deliver the physical capacity we’re planning?

If the answer is uncertain, the solution isn’t simply to recruit when construction starts. It is to build HSEQ capability into the project strategy from the beginning. The data-centre race isn’t just about building more. It’s about building responsibly, consistently and safely at scale.