Who we help
Solar & Retrofit Installs
Before brackets go on the roof or walls come down, you need to know what's in the substrate. We identify asbestos quickly so your project stays on track — and on the right side of the regulations.
Solar installations and asbestos cement roofs
Ireland's retrofit and solar installation programmes are expanding rapidly. Schools, commercial buildings, farms, and homes across the country are having panels fitted, boilers replaced, and roofs upgraded — much of it on buildings old enough to contain asbestos.
One of the most common scenarios we encounter is an asbestos cement roof that is about to have solar panel brackets drilled directly into it. This is a serious and increasingly regulated risk.
What we can do
Roof and fabric surveys
We identify whether asbestos-containing materials are present in the roof and wider building fabric before any installation work begins. This includes asbestos cement sheets, roofing tiles, felt-type roof materials, and any underlying layers that may have been over-clad.
Advice for building owners
If you have been told by an installer or contractor that your roof may contain asbestos, we can confirm whether that is the case and advise on your options — including what can be safely worked around and what needs to be dealt with first.
Bulk sampling
If there is a specific material in question — a roof sheet, a tile, a panel — we can take a targeted sample and have it tested without commissioning a full survey. Useful where the question is narrow and well-defined.
Documentation for compliance
We provide a formal written report that installers, contractors, and building owners can use to demonstrate that due diligence was carried out before any work began.
The regulatory position
Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Exposure to Asbestos) Regulations 2006–2025, any work that disturbs asbestos-containing materials must now be notified to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) before it begins. Drilling into an asbestos cement roof to fit solar bracketry constitutes disturbance.
This means solar installers and roofing contractors working on pre-2004 buildings need to know what they are drilling into — and so does the building owner.
For installers
If you are a solar or roofing company working on older buildings, commissioning an asbestos survey before you begin is not just good practice - it is increasingly a legal requirement and protects your business, your workers, and your clients.
Planning a retrofit or solar install?
Get in touch before work begins. We can usually arrange a survey promptly and turn around a report quickly.