Look to the sky and you just may catch a glimpse of a drone flying aloft. Drones are no longer just confined to the backyards of our youth but can be seen in commercial and civilian settings. Applications where aerial drones are being used have led to reductions in and elimination of hazards. Common instances where use is prevalent are conducting inspections from heights where a typical employee would be required to place themselves at an elevated distance and increased risk.
So, is there a case for using this emerging technology within the workplace? The National Safety Council states that in 2024, 26% of employees who participated in an internal study stated having tested, interacted with, or used drones in the workplace. Industries where the most interaction has been noted is within the oil and gas industry and the utility company sector. Both, I can personally attest to assisting! The results have been catching Serious Incident Potential (SIF-P) items before they happen and significant reductions in cost where a worker would have been required to complete tasks such as ground mapping.
The value is significant, for in many cases, inspections and surveys can be conducted without having to cease operations. This gives the end user a “real time” view of what is happening on their work locations without the need to conduct costly shutdown operations. By removing the worker from the exposed hazard, employers can also have a built-in method to directly remove hazards or engineer them out altogether. Lastly, the information gathered can be used for training, on-boarding, and mapping. In the end, the uses for drones in safety are endless and we at URS Safety have a combined 65 years of aviation experience to assist you with mitigating these hazards from above!
