Closing the Communication Gaps Around High-Risk Activities on Data Center Projects

On a large data-center build, you’re coordinating thousands of people at peak, often spread across multiple buildings and zones. In that environment, high-risk activities (HRA’s) like crane picks, hot work, energized tie-ins, or critical lifts can turn dangerous fast if even one trade misses the message. Huddles are necessary, but they’re not sufficient on their own. (McKinsey & Company)

Why Huddles Alone Don’t Cover the Full Picture on Data-Center Jobs

• Scale magnifies gaps. On massive projects, information often filters through layers of foremen before it reaches the crews who need it. Details can get lost, or never reach nearby teams who aren’t in the huddle but are still directly affected. With thousands onsite at peak, this isn’t an exception, it’s the norm.
• A workforce in flux. McKinsey highlights 20 openings for every 1 net new skilled-trades worker, with multi-year apprenticeships and high turnover creating a steady influx of “green” workers. Add daily churn, and it’s easy to see why high-risk activity details need to be shared more broadly than a single crew conversation.
• Shared space, shared risks. OSHA’s crane standard requires pre-arranged systems of communication and coordination across overlapping operations. If only the lift crew is in the know, the rest of the site remains at risk.
• Owners are raising the bar. Leading data-center owners are asking contractors to go beyond toolbox talks. They expect structured, auditable communication around risk assessments, high-risk activities, and training; reinforced throughout the entire build lifecycle.

The Core Challenge

Huddles align crews, but they don’t reliably reach everyone impacted by high-risk activities, especially on sites with 2,000+ workers. Word-of-mouth alone leaves gaps that lead to near-misses.

A More Effective Approach

1. Site-wide alerts: Share who, where, when, and impacts.
2. Reach confirmation: Ensure the right people actually get the message.
3. Dynamic updates: Adjust plans as conditions change.

These steps turn fragmented communication into consistent, site-wide awareness.

A practical playbook for GCs: from crew huddle to whole-site awareness

1) Huddle where the work is, then amplify.

• Do quick zone-level huddles at the workface for the performing crew. Immediately share the HRA with all other impacted trades (e.g., “Crane pick: 1–3 PM, North Yard. Do not enter Zones C3/C4. Spotters posted.”). Use both radios and digital broadcasts to ensure nothing gets lost.

2) Follow a 3-touch alert cadence.

• T-10 minutes: Heads-up to everyone onsite with map/zone callouts.
• Go-time: “HRA now active—avoid Zones ___; alternate routes attached.”
• All-clear: Explicit notice when work is complete so areas can reopen safely.

This start/finish signal closes the common gap where zones stay closed too long, or worse, people wander in mid-task.

3) Make messages clear, repeatable, and workforce-ready.

• Multilingual alerts in your site’s top languages.
• Standard templates for recurring HRAs (hot work, critical picks, tie-ins).
• Short refreshers during orientation (e.g., “How to read HRA alerts,” “Barricade colors and meaning”).

4) Coordinate across foremen, don’t rely on them as the only megaphone.

• Publish a daily HRA register (who/where/when/permits/impacts). Share it before shift, then broadcast a summary to crews. Reassess mid-shift if conditions change (wind, access, equipment), update broadcasts, and re-brief.

5) Build in redundancy.

• Layer communication channels: digital alerts + radios + signage. Require acknowledgments for impacted crews and mirror live status on barricade signage: “HRA ACTIVE—Zone C3/C4 off limits” → “ALL CLEAR.” This ensures coverage across mega-crews where not everyone is tied into the same foreman channel.

What “good” looks like on a 2,000+ worker site

• Frequent zone-level huddles with the crews performing the work.
• Site-wide alerts (with acknowledgment) for anyone who could be affected.
• Clear all-clear messages so blocked areas return to service safely.
• Consistent PTP/JHA content aligned with CPWR guidance, ensuring new hires hear the same message every time.

The bottom line: Huddles are essential for crew alignment, but it’s whole-site communication that prevents cross-trade exposure during high-risk activities. That’s the real shift needed to keep mega-projects safe and efficient.

Sources & further reading

• Data Center Dynamics (2025): Major data-center owners call out risk assessment, high-risk activity management, and safety training throughout the build lifecycle, i.e., repeatable, auditable communication beyond a single crew huddle. (Data Center Dynamics)
• McKinsey & Company (2025): Large data-center projects require thousands of workers at peak, intensifying coordination challenges. (McKinsey & Company)
• McKinsey & Company (2024):  “Tradespeople wanted: The need for critical trade skills in the US.” Evidence of severe skilled-trades scarcity (~584k annual openings vs ~26k net new across 12 trades; ~20:1), long apprenticeships (~3 years), high turnover, and inexperienced (“green”) workers cited as a top safety concern. (McKinsey & Company)
• Safety Start (2023): Construction has one of the highest separation (“turnover”) rates among major industries year after year. New faces arrive daily, and many haven’t heard yesterday’s risk brief, so “we covered it this morning” isn’t good enough. (Safety Start)