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Appendix C
Site Preparation
Computer Room Safety
116
Computer Room Safety
Inside the computer room, fire protection and adequate lighting (for equipment servicing) are important
safety considerations. Federal and local safety codes govern computer installations.
Fire Protection
The national Fire Protection Association’s Standard for the Protection of Electronic Computer Data
Processing Equipment, NFPA 75, contains information on safety monitoring equipment for computer rooms.
Most computer room installations are equipped with the following fire protection devices:
•Smoke detectors
• Fire and temperature alarms
• Fire extinguishing system
Additional safety devices are:
• Circuit breakers
• An emergency power cutoff switch
• Devices specific to the geographic location i.e., earthquake protection
Lighting Requirements for Equipment Servicing
Adequate lighting and utility outlets in a computer room reduce the possibility of accidents during equipment
servicing. Safer servicing is also more efficient and, therefore, less costly.
For example, it is difficult to see cable connection points on the hardware if there is not enough light.
Adequate lighting reduces the chances of connector damage when cables are installed or removed.
The minimum recommended illumination level is 70 foot-candles (756 lumens per square meter) when the
light level is measured at 30 inches (76.2 cm) above the floor.