Geology

Subsidence is the settlement or downward movement of the ground beneath a structure. Ireland's geology presents several potential subsidence challenges for facilities managers, environment health and safety and operations leads.

Ireland has extensive areas of karst landscapes, where limestone bedrock is prone to natural dissolution leading to the formation of underground caves, sinkholes and depressions. These can collapse or cause surface settlements, often well after construction is completed.

Alongside karst features, unpredictable settlement can result from construction on soft ground including peat and sleech - the notorious, soft silty estuarine clay primarily found around Belfast and the Lagan Valley area.

There is also clay shrink and swell from changes in moisture, which is common in places such as North Kerry, Clare and Kilkenny.

Why subsidence matters for pharma and logistics sites

Subsidence frequently shows up as uneven floors, cracked slabs, misaligned racking or doors that no longer close properly.

In logistics centres this can immediately interrupt material handling, damage forklifts or automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems and create unsafe working zones that stop inbound/outbound flows. Left untreated, small settlements compound and become major operational bottlenecks.

In pharmaceutical plants the stakes can be even higher. Good Manufacturing Practices set by agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) put in place strict guidelines to ensure medicines are consistently made safe, pure, and effective by controlling everything from building design, equipment, personnel, and processes to minimise contamination and errors. Floor or foundation movement can affect levelled equipment such as filling plant, lyophilisers and conveyors, or compromise sealed cleanroom interfaces, any of which can trigger investigations, deviation reports or even product holds.

In addition, unaligned floors or misaligned racking can be a safety or trip hazard for staff.

The immediate costs of subsidence are tangible

For a warehousing hub, even a single day of outbound closure can cascade into missed deliveries, contractual penalties and reputational damage. For pharmaceuticals, downtime often carries the additional cost of regulatory scrutiny, re-qualification of equipment/areas, and potentially destroyed batches - costs that can rapidly exceed the price of structural remediation.

Insurance cover can help but claims processes take time, and insurers increasingly expect proactive asset management.

Practical, low-disruption remediation and asset management

Traditional heavy civil remediation techniques, such as underpinning are effective but can often take time and be highly disruptive to production and logistics operations.

Newer ground engineering techniques, including technologies such as Mainmark’s Teretek® technology and JOG computer controlled cementitious grout injection, offer non-invasive alternatives that can lift and stabilise slabs, fill voids and re-establish load-bearing capacity with far less downtime and site disruption.

Several warehouse projects have favoured these less invasive solutions over piling for speed and reduced business interruption (cost impact), including at Hosetech's warehouse in Little Island, Co Cork. The manufacturer and supplier of specialist hoses and fittings was looking for a solution that could treat the symptoms of subsidence in a warehouse floor that was sinking in the shortest possible timeframe and with minimal disruption to business operations. Mainmark’s injection technology solution fitted the bill on both counts.

Ground engineering specialist Mainmark Ireland brings local project management and global technical experience to tailor solutions that balance engineering performance with the operational realities of live sites. For complex or deeper ground problems, ground improvement combined with micropiles or targeted underpinning can provide engineered, long-term stability while work is staged to protect production and distribution flows.

A risk-management checklist for operations teams

• Detect early. Small changes are easier to fix so observe slab and racking for changes in levels and monitor the growth rate of any slabs cracks

• Assess fast. Engage geotechnical and ground-remediation specialists to identify the cause of any ground related issues and potential solutions.

• Prioritise critical assets. Stabilise areas serving validated production lines and critical storage first to minimise regulatory impact.

• Choose low-disruption methods. Consider resin injection or staged underpinning to keep lines and docks running where possible.

• Document everything. Detailed records support regulatory compliance and insurer discussions if product quality or shipments are affected.

Talk to a ground engineering specialist

Ground movement and subsidence isn’t simply a civil-engineering problem, it’s a commercial, safety and compliance risk. For pharma and logistics hubs in Ireland, the right approach balances speed, engineering rigor and operational continuity.

If you’ve noticed floor settlement, cracking or experienced repeated alignment problems in validated areas or on warehouse floors, talk to Mainmark Ireland for a site assessment and a remediation plan that respects your production and distribution commitments.