Our new school build puts the techies' office in the server room

[beeswax]

Received confirmation last night that our new school build has the techies' office in the server room. Apart from the fact that this only runs to two desks between four techies, what are the Health and Safety implications of this?

[glennda]

Noise being the largest factor and also temperature. Ive been there and the background noise is.not nice

[synaesthesia]

We have this exact issue currently. Network Managers office (which I tend to use as base too) houses half the servers and 6 switches which is a real noisy system. Unfortunately (well, sort of) it's just short of the health & safety limits

[glennda]

We have this exact issue currently. Network Managers office (which I tend to use as base too) houses half the servers and 6 switches which is a real noisy system. Unfortunately (well, sort of) it's just short of the health & safety limits

 

By louder servers Sun fires and supermicro chassis tend to be loundest!!

[beeswax]

We have this exact issue currently. Network Managers office (which I tend to use as base too) houses half the servers and 6 switches which is a real noisy system. Unfortunately (well, sort of) it's just short of the health & safety limits

 

I feared as much as it won't be the first time the construction company has encountered this.

[ctbjs]

Had the same issue just over four years ago when we moved into our new school. Absolutely no provision for Technical staff, rooms way too small and under spec'd in terms of space for racks and people. Effectively had two rooms, one for servers and patching and switch stacks and one room for technicians. In techies room there was enough room for two people at a push (we have four). No room for testing lab etc. Make sure you shout loud for a proper room otherwise you will be left to fend for yourself. We spent months living out of the staff room, a makeshift classroom offsite and now have a small (ish) office for me and IT Leader.

[DSapseid]

My Office is just off the server with an interconnecting door but i also have a door straight out. I used to have a naff folding door from homebase for £20 but in the summer i insisted on a proper door being put in, much better now. When i expanded my server room i had to 'acquire' the d&t store cupboard (was full of junk!!) might be worth looking at the designs to see if there is any way that an adjoining room can be acquired then a dividing wall put in.

[shenley]

At my previous school, all of the servers sat in my office (15 all up - some were rack mounted HPs, others just PCs). The noise always seemed terrible if you thought about it, but to be honest, it was like a clock - you didn't notice it after awhile. I had it measured once, when one of my techies asked about hearing damage, and it came out at 84dB at the techies end of the room. This is a the equivalent of standing on the side of a busy road. The permissible expose time at that level is 8 hours, so all was fine decibel exposure time guidelines

 

We also had the school bell in our office, which was worse! They reckon they couldn't relocate it. We used to keep stuffing paper up it to reduce it to a tick, tick sound. It was also the fire bell. Every year the fire inspectors would moan and pull the paper out. As soon as they left the office, we would put it back in. It wasn't a safety issue; there was always somebody in the office who could raise the alarm if necessary and they was another fire bell in the building. We also had a real fire in the school (not in our bit) and the alarms in our building didn't go off.

[dhicks]

Received confirmation last night that our new school build has the techies' office in the server room.

 

In my experience, if you turn up one day with lumber, power tools and a confident air everyone assumes you know what you're doing / have permission and leaves you to to get on with things, so you could simply build a partition wall to keep the noise of the servers down.

[AngryTechnician]

H&S noise limits tend to be for occasional exposure, not constant noise. I know there's at least one EduGeeker here who has developed tinnitus form the constant noise of a server cabinet, despite it being under those "official limits". And in case anyone wasn't aware, tinnitus is largely untreatable.

 

Approach SMT and explain to them this is a real risk, and gently point out that you aren't willing to risk acquiring a permanent disability from your workplace. A potential claim for hearing damage in a few years time will be much more expensive for them than providing you with a proper working environment.

 

If they still won't listen to reason, contact your union.

[alan-d]

With the expected noise levels and more worryingly the lack of desk space I would strongly urge you to invite the local H&S people to look over the plans and provide a report to the SMT.

 

Would the SMT expect the school admin staff to work in a noisy environment and share a desk?

[sidewinder]

You need to make your feelings known that it isn't enough space for you all to do your jobs. Leaving the noise issue aside, would they plan any other office in the school to have less desks than people? It's not good enough and if you don't fight hard to change it now you'll be stuck with it

[beeswax]

I already suffer with tinnitus and have been "measured" for a hearing aid, but am a little too vain to get one

[januttall]

Our office is in the server room ohh the joys ive had staff come in and instantly say its nosie in hear how do you put up with it. and they all coment on how chilly it is in summer (one of the only room's on school with aircon) but with 12 desktop servers and a wall full of swiches. it can be loud and its freeky when everything goes down for end of tearm its realy quiet you can hear a pin drop.

[plexer]

Can you all speak up please I can't hear you over this noise!!!!!

 

Ben

[alan-d]

I don't want to cause panic but surely the architect was made aware that there would be 4 people working in that space? If not then was he told that there will be only 2 people by the time the space is occupied?

 

[beeswax]

I don't want to cause panic but surely the architect was made aware that there would be 4 people working in that space? If not then was he told that there will be only 2 people by the time the space is occupied?

 

 

It's a long story, but basically the architect was planning for our school to be under a Managed Service Provider (MSP) which meant that there would only be one techie on site. The MSP has pulled out of all schools in our area, returning those who have been Tuped back to their respective schools, and the new build budget has been cut with the consequence that the school won't be getting the floor space that was originally specified.

[mavhc]

Who could have predicted managed services would fail? oh wait, everyone.

[sonofsanta]

Temperature won't get you anywhere I'm afraid - UK H&S only stipulates a minimum level, below which you are permitted to leave your office and refuse to work until your employer sorts it out (I'm paraphrasing, obv). There is, unfortunately, no maximum temperature though - the only provision is that if your office is too warm, you are entitled to take a ten minute break away to cool down.

 

Where this falls down is that as an IT techie you have sensitive data and valuable kit lying around, so have to lock your door. And your door is probably a fire door with no vent. And you have half dozen desktops and laptops all pumping out heat in this enclosed space while you take your break, such that when you come back, it's hotter than it was before and has solved nothing.

 

/bitter voice of experience

[tech_guy]

We live in the server room here and you get used to the noise. After 10 years you don't notice it anymore. It's not so loud that it causes issues for us thankfully. Our servers are seated on a wooden box plinth which absorbs quite a bit of the noise.

[alan-d]

Have a look at this - further reading is listed at the bottom.

 

Edit:- Forgot to add http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/roomspace.htm

HSE-Work Space.pdf

Edited May 2, 2012 by alan-d

[localzuk]

It's a long story, but basically the architect was planning for our school to be under a Managed Service Provider (MSP) which meant that there would only be one techie on site. The MSP has pulled out of all schools in our area, returning those who have been Tuped back to their respective schools, and the new build budget has been cut with the consequence that the school won't be getting the floor space that was originally specified.

 

Oh I know that one well - this school was built with an MSP being in mind, so now that the MSP is no longer here, we have no proper office - we're currently squatting in an office but it is wanted back by the department that owns it, and they have now started looking for a new location for us. Plain and simple, there isn't enough office space at all.

 

Constant buzzing like that from servers can and does cause tinnitus. My dad suffers from it due to buzzing equipment in his room at work. I simply wouldn't work in a server room - it is not safe to do so for your health.

[Pete10141748]

After 5 years of working with 4-8 servers around me all the time I don't even notice the sound anymore - in fact when I go into other people's offices around the school I find it too quiet, sometimes catch myself humming for 'background noise' LOL!

[Netwacky87]

Yeah, I dont even hear background noise anymore! I think im just used to the constant humming!

[Pete10141748]

Yeah, I dont even hear background noise anymore! I think im just used to the constant humming!

 

It's better than when I used to share my room with other people on PPA etc.

I'd rather have constant humming than constant whinging! lol