Data Center Safety - Prime ORD01-01

Prime Data Centers and Clune Construction Celebrate 365 Consecutive Days Injury Free in Elk Grove Village

Nov. 6, 2024 — Elk Grove Village, IL — Prime Data Centers, Clune Construction, and tradesmen and women from various development partners gathered today at 1701 Midway Court in Elk Grove Village, Illinois to celebrate a milestone for the mantel piece.

365 consecutive days of injury-free construction.

The site is the future home of three Prime hyperscale data centers, delivering 180 MW of critical power to the capacity-constrained market commonly known as the “Data Center Capital of the Midwest”. EGV Mayor Craig Johnson has been a visionary over the past decade, working with Illinois officials to create a business-friendly environment to recruit data centers to the area resulting in a positive, regional economic impact.

A relationship that began in 2021, Prime awarded Clune Construction the initial phase of ORD01-01, the first campus data center to be developed. As seen in the above image, the facility features a three-story design and will deliver 384,210 square feet and 72 MW of critical power at full build out. The Chicago data center is being developed according to Prime and Clune’s commitments to sustainability which will result in low Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and a closed-loop cooling system for near-zero Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) while supporting modern AI and cloud workloads that require more than one hundred kilowatts of power per rack.

These highlights are mentioned to underscore the scale and complexity of the project, accentuating the exceptional nature of this achievement. Furthermore, even with a heightened focus on construction safety across the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows lost-time incidents have risen by around 3%, with falls, electrical hazards, and struck-by incidents remaining primary causes of injury​.

Imposing factors like construction scale, complexity, risk, and incident trends made aligning with a company like Clune, who also views construction / data center safety as a core organizational value, critical to developing a safe work environment that could result in a milestone like this. The team, managed by Senior Superintendent, Team Leader Dino Pastore, has meticulously worked to maintain both the pace and precision required for a build of this complexity while ensuring safety remains the top priority.

“We couldn’t achieve this level of success without the exceptional trade partners we work with every day,” commented Pastore. “Their attention to detail and dedication to safety have made this milestone possible, and we are incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together.”

Clune and Prime Data Centers have worked together on several major projects, including the second phase at Prime’s Los Angeles data center scheduled for grand opening on November 14th at 4701 S. Santa Fe in Vernon, California. Together, we have a shared commitment to operational excellence and to setting the standard for safety and efficiency in data center construction.

“With safety as a core organizational value, hitting a milestone of this magnitude is a testament to the culture that Clune and Prime Data Centers have built together,” commented Scott Anders, Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Director at Prime Data Centers. “365 consecutive days of incident-free construction is the result of comprehensive training, relentless pursuit of a clean and organized construction site, and the dedication of each team member – from every organization involved – to do the right thing even when no one is looking.”

“Safety is at the core of everything we do at Clune,” said Mike Themanson, Vice President, Safety at Clune Construction. “We take every measure and precaution possible to ensure that everyone goes home at the end of the day exactly as they arrived. From each project’s kickoff meeting, our dedicated Safety Team immediately develops a comprehensive plan to ensure that any potential issues are addressed long before work begins. This 365-day milestone is a testament to the outstanding commitment of our team and trade partners to maintaining the highest safety standards.”

According to the Center for Construction Research and Training, conditions for projects like data center construction can historically contribute to a higher rate of lost-time incidents, estimated to be 15% above the industry average. With the current construction boom in the digital infrastructure industry, we are all compelled to double-down on data center EHS. In doing so, as an industry, we can positively impact this discipline resulting in a healthier, happier overall construction workforce.

Everyone at Prime Data Centers would like to extend our congratulations to all development partners and Prime-time Players who contributed to this achievement. Thank you for your leadership and commitment to doing things right.

About Clune Construction
Clune Construction is a national, full-service general contractor with offices across the U.S. We employ more than 700 professionals and manage over $2 billion in construction projects annually. Our success is built on a foundation of customer satisfaction, a team-oriented culture, and a commitment to excellence in the construction industry.

About Prime Data Centers

Prime is an international provider of hyperscale and wholesale data centers. Data-driven organizations such as cloud providers, AI, and the enterprise choose Prime for scalable and efficiently designed data centers that help them advance, defend, and achieve their technology and sustainability objectives. At the company’s core, Prime’s mission is to be the go-to infrastructure solutions partner for its customer base. With a roadmap of more than three gigawatts of power capacity spread across established and emerging markets, Prime will be where our customers need to grow next. Visit http://www.primedatecenters.com for more information.

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