Raslak Works
Data centres · Articles · Uusimaa, Finland

Commissioning and upkeep: inspections, snagging, maintenance rounds

Data centre commissioning is the engineers' moment: load tests and measurements. From the builder's side it is a time of inspections, snag lists and handover documents — followed by years of upkeep in which a local partner is needed all the time.

Published 2026-09-05 · Raslak Works · Suomeksi

Inspections before handover

Before equipment goes live, the building is inspected room by room: building control inspections, the fire inspection, the main contractor's own quality checks and the client's acceptance inspection. On the building side the checks cover fire ratings of walls and doors, fire-stop labels and the register, quality of finishes, floor flatness and that rooms are clean enough for equipment installation.

Snagging: the list and closing it fast

Inspections always produce a snag list. Typical items are surface damage caused during equipment installation, missing or damaged fire-stop labels, trim and door adjustments and the odd joint. The list can be long, but the items are small. What matters to the client is that the list is closed quickly and every fix is signed off with a photo. Raslak Works logs snag items in its client portal, where the client sees sign-offs in real time instead of following an email thread.

Handover documentation

For the building works, handover includes at least the fire-stopping register with photos, materials used and their approvals, partition build-up types and changes to the original design. An international client wants it electronic and in English. When documentation is done during the work, the handover package is ready when the work is — it is not compiled afterwards.

Safety rounds during construction

Site safety during construction is tracked with a weekly safety round (the Finnish TR measurement), and on many data centre sites it is done every week. For a subcontractor the round looks at PPE, scaffolding, housekeeping, electrics and fall protection. Raslak Works runs its own rounds on a phone, and the result stays on record for the job. It shows the client that safety is not just an induction promise.

Upkeep after go-live

A live data centre is not a finished building but a constantly changing one: new equipment rows, room changes, additional compartmentation and penetrations, changes to access doors. Every change is made in an operating facility, which means stricter dust control and working within agreed maintenance windows. A local partner who knows the building and whose paperwork is ready can make a change with a week's notice.

Maintenance rounds and small repairs

Day-to-day upkeep means regular rounds: door and lock function, condition of finishes, checking fire stops after changes, opening and closing ceilings and enclosures for services maintenance. Raslak Works offers this as a property maintenance service where rounds, observations and repairs are logged in the same portal as during construction: property maintenance.

Why the same partner from construction to upkeep

The knowledge gathered during construction — what is inside a wall, where the fire stops are, how the rooms are compartmented — is valuable in upkeep. When the same partner continues, that knowledge does not disappear at handover. It is also easier for the client: one contact, one portal, the same credentials and documents already checked.

Frequently asked questions

What does snagging mean?
The pre-handover defect list: small faults and damage found in inspections, fixed and signed off before acceptance.
What building documentation is handed over?
The fire-stopping register with photos, materials used and approvals, partition build-up types and changes to the design — electronic and in English where needed.
Do you make changes inside a live data centre?
Yes. Work is done in agreed maintenance windows with strict dust control, and paperwork is ready, so we can start at short notice.
What is a TR measurement?
The weekly Finnish site safety round, scoring working practices, scaffolding, machinery, protection, electrics and housekeeping. The result is a percentage tracked on site.

Tell us the site and the scope — you get an itemised quote and a firm schedule.

Request a free assessment

Read next: Interior fit-out for data centres · Building in Finland with a local subcontractor · Data centre services