South Tipperary Dementia Project

The South Tipperary Dementia Building in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary forms part of the healthcare infrastructure serving the local community, providing a purpose-designed environment for dementia care. The service is funded by the Health Service Executive and run in coordination with Family Carers Ireland and provides education programmes and dementia support to patients, allowing them to live as well and independently as they can at home in their own community.

The facility required safe and practical access solutions to support the installation of 99 solar panels on the roof to deliver long-term energy savings for the hospital.

Select Access was appointed to supply, install, and certify a range of roof access and working-at-height systems. The scope required a combination of standardised and bespoke solutions, with each system configured to suit the building’s roof layout and access requirements.

Select Access installed approximately 150lm of freestanding aluminium guardrail across the facility, providing continuous edge protection to designated roof areas. A 4.5m-high aluminium caged access ladder was also supplied and installed, incorporating security doors at both the upper and lower access points.

Two bespoke stepover systems were installed on site to accommodate changes in roof level and provide safe routes across rooftop obstacles. The first measured 2.5m long by 1.6m wide and 0.8m high, while the second measured 6m long by 1.6m wide and 1.2m high. All systems were supplied, installed, and certified by Select Access, with the bespoke stepovers built to the specific dimensions required on site.

The completed access package provides secure and practical routes across the building’s roof areas, supporting safe maintenance and solar panel servicing activities while providing appropriate protection around roof edges and changes in level.

The combination of continuous freestanding guardrail, secure caged ladder access, and bespoke stepover systems provides a coordinated working-at-height solution tailored to the requirements of the healthcare facility and any access needs required by solar panel installers, hospital, and maintenance staff. The solar PV system installed now generates 30,742 kWh of clean energy and can neutralise approximately 7.93 tonnes of CO2 per annum: This save in energy costs will help The Dementia Project to allocate funds otherwise spent on utility bills to the patients they serve in the Clonmel community.