The Data Center Construction Boom: Why On-Site Occupational Health Clinics Are a Must-Have  

Data center construction is sweeping across the United States. No longer is it a matter of “If you build it, they will come.” The world’s insatiable demand for artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and digital commerce has big business committing big bucks to build these centers now. Google’s $9 billion expansion in Oklahoma and CoreWeave’s $6 billion AI-focused campus in Pennsylvania are but two examples of massive projects that are defining a new era of construction. 

Such projects can span several years, employ thousands of tradespeople, and involve physically demanding, high-risk work in extreme environments. Construction crews and power-generation workers are on-site long before the data flows — and gone long before the ribbon-cutting. Often, they’re left to navigate medical needs in locations where access is limited or inconsistent. That’s why on-site occupational health clinics are no longer nice-to-have; they’re essential to data center construction safety. 

The Construction Market Context 

According to Grand View Research, the global data center market is expected to grow from $240 billion to $456 billion by 2030. In the U.S., 78 major projects totaling $9 billion launched in the first half of 2024 alone — the highest half-year value since tracking began in 1967. 

From hyperscale campuses covering hundreds of acres to modular builds that could be a single two-story building with the space equivalent to 10 football fields, the volume, velocity, and scale of development are staggering. Engineering News-Record now ranks data centers as “mission-critical” infrastructure, and that’s one reason why occupational health in construction takes on greater significance in helping to ensure workforce health and safety.  

The bigger the build, the greater the potential risks. These are high-demand environments with tight timelines, heavy machinery, fluctuating crews, and constant pressure to stay on schedule. Keeping crews healthy and safe through project completion is a top priority. 

Metro vs. Rural Builds: The Health and Safety Divide 

Loudoun County, Virginia — known as “Data Center Alley” — is home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers, with more than 200 facilities operational and another 117 in development. In metro markets like Ashburn (in Loudoun County), as well as Chicago, Dallas, and Phoenix, hospitals may be nearby — but off-site care still causes delays, raises OSHA-recordable risk, and lowers morale. Workers can wait hours for treatment, especially after hours or on weekends. 

In rural and secondary markets, the stakes are even higher. In Lancaster, Pennsylvania (the site of CoreWeave’s $6B expansion) , Bastrop County, Texas (EdgeConneX’s $1.4B project), and Microsoft’s $258M expansion in El Mirage, Arizona, sites are often isolated, emergency jobsite medical services are sparse, and workers face long stretches without access to basic medical care — all while enduring heat, dust, fatigue, and environmental exposure. 

Regardless of location, temporary on-site occupational health clinics bring medical support and immediate care to the jobsite, saving time, reducing risk, and building confidence among crews and safety teams alike. 

Hyperscale vs. Edge Builds: Different Scales, Same Needs 

Data center construction falls broadly into two buckets: 

Hyperscale projects like CoreWeave’s $6B campus or Google’s $9B expansion are multi-year builds involving thousands of workers. These sites demand fully staffed, long-term occupational health clinics capable of handling everything from injury response to chronic condition support. 

Edge or modular builds, like EdgeConneX in Bastrop County, may last only a few months to a year, but they’re often located in underserved markets with limited healthcare access. These projects still require temporary clinics with flexible staffing models to keep teams safe and meet regulatory demands. 

Whether it’s a hyperscale campus or an edge node, occupational health clinic services must scale to fit the project, ensuring safety from day one through project closeout. 

Why On-Site Clinics Matter 

For construction crews and contractors, on-site occupational health clinics deliver value across the board: 

• Hiring and onboarding: Clinics can provide drug and alcohol testing, medical clearances, respirator evaluations, and referrals — all on-site, without delaying workforce deployment. 
• Immediate injury care: Whether it’s a fall, laceration, heat-related illness, or strain, real-time triage from licensed clinicians can prevents minor injuries from escalating and helps limit recordables and claims. 
• Workplace injury prevention services: Programs like ergonomic coaching prgrams for construction workers, hydration monitoring, and health education (for example, toolbox talks, stretch-and-flex routines) can help reduce long-term injury risk. 
• Regulatory compliance: On-site medical teams support OSHA compliance for construction, from documentation to real-time guidance on reportables vs. first aid and can help reinforce a culture of safety. 
• Project continuity: A healthy workforce is a more productive workforce. Clinics can reduce downtime, support skilled worker retention, and demonstrate a commitment to crew welfare. This is especially important in union environments or high-turnover trades. 

For multi-billion-dollar builds with tight schedules and intense public scrutiny, these aren’t soft benefits. Construction health and safety programs are business critical. 

Building the Future Safely 

Data centers are reshaping the digital economy — but behind every facility are hundreds to thousands of construction professionals, power workers, and safety leaders working under pressure to bring these projects to life. Their health isn’t a secondary concern. It’s foundational to a project’s success. 

On-site occupational health clinics are essential infrastructure, just like steel, concrete, or fiber. They keep people safe, reduce claims, boost morale, and help ensure that the future of AI and digital commerce is built on a solid, human-first foundation. 

Contact WorkCare to learn more about how our on-site occupational health clinics serve the construction industry. 

Coming next: How WorkCare designs and deploys on-site medical clinics tailored to data center construction sites — ensuring safety, compliance, and continuity from groundbreaking to ribbon-cutting.