tleds, led retrofit kitstiepoint.com/pdfs/bom-0518-boston-cf.pdf · new data center build during...
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BU
ILDIN
G O
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RATIN
G M
AN
AG
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T • MAY
2018
GREEN
BUILD
ING
REPORT • O
FFICE TRAN
SFORM
ED • LED
s • FIRE SPRINKLERS • ED
UCATIO
NA
L BUILD
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S • ACOU
STICS • CYBER SECURITY • CRITICA
L FACILITIES: TRAIN
ING
, ARC FLA
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FACILITIESNET.COM/BOMMAY 2018 • $8
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OVER THE LAST TWO DE-CADES, many data center managers experienced multiple opportunities to sharpen their design/construction strategies. Prior to this period, they were fortunate to be involved in one new data center build during their career. Successful building practices have been well pub-lished and discussed at confer-ences. In particular, the practice of thoroughly testing a critical facility’s infrastructure systems before it begins operation has paid extraordinary dividends. Yet management teams virtually all overlook one critical process that would ensure a much greater likelihood of uninter-rupted operation: the need for operators to have practice time.
Many of our design practices focus on ensuring the critical building’s systems not only work, but nearly never fail. We are not applying this objective to the human side of the operation.
People hired to operate critical systems are assumed to bring sufficient knowledge to confi-dently operate all systems and respond to incidents success-fully. This is a remarkably naïve expectation, for several reasons:
• Data centers are sig-nificantly more complex than office facilities.
• Each data center facility is unique, so previous facility experience can only be applied at a general level.
• Intimate knowledge of the building’s design concepts and detailed system configura-tions is needed to be able to safely and successfully resolve incidents.
• Most facilities teams are not hired early enough to observe how the facility is con-structed and where some of the critical components are located.
• Some teams are provided minimal training by the equip-ment manufacturers, but it is
often conducted as a group and is generally rushed.
• Infrastructure system test-ing does not provide a chance for each team member to indi-vidually experience each critical “isolate” or “restore a system” procedure.
• At best, facilities teams are exposed as a group to some of the testing work in an environ-ment full of distractions, where equipment manufacturers are under pressure to complete their work and leave the site.
Expecting new facilities teams to be successful with this
approach is akin to assuming a person is fully capable of flying an airplane after one short ride as a passenger in a four-seat plane — while the other pas-sengers are talking.
TIME AND RESOURCESWhen examining other
critical occupation activities, significant time and resources should be invested in preparing operators for confident and safe performance of tasks and suc-cessful incident resolution.
Commercial airline pilots are rated to fly only specific
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» Other critical operations can serve as models.
» Three steps would help ensure uptime.
» Use preventive maintenance as a training tool.
by david boston
44 buildingoperatingmanagementMAY 2018
Practice time could reduce data center downtime risks
facilitiesnet.com/bom
When constructing a new facility, a few data center owners have intentionally built 30 to 60 days of practice time into the project schedule, after the completion of the system testing effort.
044-C3_BOM_0518 CriticalFacilities.indd 44 4/27/18 9:21 AM
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categories of aircraft. Simulators allow pilots to “practice” prior to actually fl ying a plane. An Air-line Transport Pilot Certifi cate allows a pilot to act as the cap-tain or fi rst offi cer of an airline fl ight and requires 1,500 hours of total fl ight time, including 500 hours of cross country fl ight, 100 hours of night fl ight, and 75 hours of instrument operations. Every pilot has to undergo a fl ight review with an instructor every 24 months.
Nuclear submarine opera-tors spend multiple months in a classroom studying the specifi c model of submarine they will work in. Once on board, they spend 14 to 18 months “qualify-ing” to operate the ship’s various systems. Individual cross-train-ing with a more experienced operator is a standard practice during this time period.
Nuclear power facilities are more analogous to data centers than airplanes and submarines, because each facility is unique. Operators typically receive 400 hours of classroom training prior to gaining an entry-level position. Additional multi-month training is conducted under supervision at the facility.
When a new nuclear power plant is constructed, opera-tors are customarily hired from another nuclear facility one year prior to completion of the new facility. During this time, they attend classroom training as a group to study a fundamental overview of the new facility’s plans. This is followed by a multi-month practice period at a simulator built to replicate the new facility’s control room. As construction of the new facility nears completion, the operators
begin a one to two year start-up period, practicing every conceiv-able failure scenario under supervision.
Licensed nuclear plant operators require requalifi ca-tion training every 24 months. Each operator must complete the program and pass a written exam and an annual operating test developed and adminis-tered by the reactor licensee.
All three of these critical activities have human life at stake when there is an opera-tions failure. The justifi cation for the time invested in training and practice time is clear. Data center management teams that strive to avoid downtime should take note of the crucial practices that the critical operations cited above have in common:
1. Dedicated site- or model-specifi c training investment,
including re-training.2. Written tests and detailed
evaluations.3. Extensive practice time for
individuals with the equipment they will operate.
LEARNING FROM IN-HOUSE EXPERTS
To date, several data center owners have implemented simi-lar practices. They use scheduled preventive maintenance events to permit each team member to gain “hands-on” training, under the guidance of the team’s subject matter expert, for every system isolation activity — instead of having the same team member isolate a specifi c system each time preventive mainte-nance is scheduled. This ensures all become confi dent with every planned critical operation.
(continued on page 48)
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Monthly classroom training sessions are held separately to review emergency response procedures as a group. Under the guidance of a subject matter expert, pairs of facilities technicians then simulate the same emergency responses in front of the equipment later that week. The facility manager or assigned training coordinator create the quarterly written tests. Those fail-ing to score 90 percent are provided further instruction and allowed to re-test until they pass. Peers are asked to provide input on annual reviews, to vouch for their team members’ competence at critical processes. Some companies create and award framed certifi cates for multiple levels of accom-plishment, including recognition of an individual’s readiness to train others.
When constructing a new facility, a few data center owners have intentionally built 30 to 60 days of practice time into the project schedule, after the completion of the system testing (commissioning) effort. These individuals have truly pioneered a practice that should become universally accepted by critical facilities owners in the near future. Remember that the commis-sioning process was initially adopted by only a few critical facility owners. Today, it is considered a requirement by all who take continuous operation objectives seriously.
Recognition that human error ac-counts for the majority of incidents has justifi ed the substantial investment in training and practice time by those who manage the other critical operations de-scribed earlier. Adding one to two months of paid operator practice time to a new data center facility start-up schedule may seem like a substantial investment, but it will pale in comparison to the cost of just one downtime event that could have been avoided. Because many organizations will never willingly shut down their infrastruc-ture systems once operation begins, this will be the only time for system operators to gain the site-specifi c experience each individual needs. to gain the site-specifi c experience each individual needs.
David Boston ([email protected]) serves as director of facility opera-tions solutions for TiePoint-bkm Engineer-ing, where he provides assessments, staff plans, and the development of procedures and training programs for critical facility clients.
Email comments and questions to [email protected].
facilitiesnet.com/bom
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Brian TerrySouth/Mid-Atlantic Regional Director(414) 228-7701, ext. [email protected]
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