Americase expert helps shape OCP data center energy storage safety guidance

Americase International says HazMat Safety Consulting Principal Consultant Mike Pagel contributed dangerous goods and regulatory expertise to an Open Compute Project white paper on energy storage systems for data centers. The guidance, published in January 2026, focuses on lifecycle safety as AI and high-performance computing push higher power demands and more complex battery deployments.

Why it matters: - Data centers are using more energy storage to support AI and high-performance computing workloads. - The OCP guidance is meant to help operators manage safety risks across the full battery lifecycle, not just during installation. - The paper links technical design choices to transportation, compliance, fire protection and end-of-life obligations that can affect data center operations.

What happened: - Americase International announced that Mike Pagel, Principal Consultant with HazMat Safety Consulting, contributed to the Open Compute Project white paper, Requirements for Energy Storage Systems Used in Data Centers. - Pagel helped inform the paper's guidance on dangerous goods transportation, regulatory compliance and lifecycle safety for energy storage systems used in data centers. - The white paper was published in January 2026 through the Open Compute Project. - Americase International is based in Waxahachie, Texas.

The details: - The OCP paper covers safe design, operation and maintenance of energy storage systems used in data centers. - The guidance addresses battery chemistry, testing, fire protection, transportation, emergency response and end-of-life management. - It focuses on systems ranging from rack-level battery backup units to centralized uninterruptible power supply systems and larger battery energy storage systems. - The paper examines lithium-ion, nickel-zinc, lead-acid, sodium-ion and supercapacitor systems, each with different risk profiles. - It also addresses higher-voltage power architectures and the electrical and stored-energy hazards tied to those systems. - The guidance references NFPA 855 requirements for stationary energy storage systems. - It also references ANSI/CAN/UL 9540A 5th Edition (2025) for evaluating thermal runaway and fire propagation characteristics. - The paper cites UN Manual of Tests and Criteria, Part III, Sub-section 38.3 testing requirements for lithium battery design types before transportation. - Transportation requirements can include packaging, marking, labeling, documentation and training for lithium batteries and battery-powered equipment. - Those requirements can apply during initial deployment, replacement, return, repair, redeployment and end-of-life shipment. - HazMat Safety Consulting advises organizations on transportation, storage and handling rules for lithium batteries and other dangerous goods. - Americase and Fulcrum Testing provide packaging, containment and testing capabilities across the battery lifecycle. - The paper also addresses Hazard Mitigation Analysis as a tool for evaluating risks linked to thermal runaway, mechanical failure and supporting systems.

Between the lines: - The guidance reflects a shift from treating batteries as static facility hardware to treating them as regulated assets that move through multiple risk points. - Pagel's quote underscores a central theme of the paper: battery chemistry alone does not determine hazard, and testing is needed to understand real-world behavior. - The lifecycle framing matters because data center battery systems can trigger separate rules for installation, transport, storage and disposal. - OCP's Energy Storage Systems workstream is trying to create common requirements for safer ESS adoption across data center environments.

What's next: - Data center operators, hyperscalers, colocation providers, battery manufacturers and infrastructure teams are likely to use the paper as they plan or expand energy storage deployments. - The OCP white paper is available through the Open Compute Project. - Americase says its consulting, packaging and testing businesses are positioned to support customers facing battery safety and regulatory requirements.

The bottom line: - As AI drives more battery-backed infrastructure into data centers, the OCP guidance puts safety, compliance and lifecycle planning at the center of deployment decisions.