Data Center Best Practices for Contamination Control

As computer components get smaller, they become more susceptible to failures caused by contamination. Everyday dirt can build up causing short circuits, overheating, and other problems. Contaminated related failures can lead to downtime and lost revenue in the millions of dollars. Follow these basic guidelines to prevent contamination related bit errors, packet loss, and downtime.

Protect your equipment by establishing guidelines for all staff and visitors to support this objective. A contamination prevention initiative can inform others what activities are acceptable for your environment.

Guidelines for Contamination Control in Computer Room Environments

Establish Computer Room Protocols.

• No food or drink inside the computer room.
• Do not unpack or uncrate equipment or other items inside the computer room. A staging area outside of the computer room should be established for unpacking or uncrating activity.
• Do not store cardboard, wood or paper type products inside the computer room. These items continuously shed large amounts of contamination.
• Do not prop open doors that lead to non-computer room areas.
• Do not allow any work to occur in computer room until the environmental impact of the work is known AND protocols for contamination control have been reviewed and approved.
• Any tools and/or materials brought in the computer room by vendors or employees should be reasonably clean and contaminant free.

Limit access to the computer room.

• In addition to security issues, unnecessary personnel can add to contamination levels. People generate contamination through clothing fibers, dead skin, hair, and dirt on their shoes.

Place contamination control mats at all entrances to the computer room.

• Contamination control mats help ensure that dust, carpet fibers and other small particulate are not tracked into the room via people’s shoes or wheels on carts.

Maintain positive air pressurization in the computer room relative to surrounding areas.

• Positive pressurization helps prevent contaminated air from entering the room.

Maintain a disciplined computer room cleaning program.

• Clean top of floor surfaces quarterly or more frequently.
• Clean equipment and environmental surfaces quarterly or more frequently.
• Clean underfloor plenum at least once per year. Two times per year if the plenum is delivering pressurized air.
• Maintain a consistent cleaning schedule.
• Increase cleaning frequency during construction or other contamination producing events.