Yesterday, Waldeck exhibited at the IOSH South East Branch’s ‘Top 5’ Construction Event, which was attended by Construction Health and Safety professionals from across the region.

With 52% of the construction industry now utilising drones on projects, we talked to delegates about how drones can be used to improve Health and Safety on projects and how to ensure they are working with a qualified team.

Drones can be used for many tasks including:

  • Inspection
  • Monitoring
  • Non-destructive testing
  • Reporting
  • Surveillance
  • Surveying

The use of drones on construction projects is not restricted to generic buildings projects, they can also be used for:

  • Hazardous environments
  • Large-scale construction sites
  • Off-shore sites
  • Railways
  • Restricted and confined spaces
  • Wind farms

The Health and Safety benefits

The use of drones on construction projects can create many benefits such as time savings and cost efficiencies. However the most important success of drones for any project, is the impact that using this technology can have on Health and Safety. For example, drones:

  • Are able to access hard to reach areas not possible with aerial work platforms
  • Are capable of inspecting unsafe structures without risk
  • Capture data quickly to minimise time required on potentially hazardous site
  • Capture large amounts of data, mitigating the need for site revisits
  • Minimise the need for entering confined spaces
  • Minimise the need for working at height
  • Require minimal resource to complete a task

Authorised to fly?

It is important to always use a company who has Permission for Commercial Operations (PFCO) for any work using a drone.

To gain a PFCO from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), an operator must undertake training and pass a series of practical and theoretical exams well as produce an Operations Manual.

You can check to see if a business has PFCO by visiting the below websites:

Civil Aviation Authority – www.caa.co.uk
ARPAS  – www.arpas.uk
DroneSafe – www.dronesafe.uk

Waldeck are fully qualified to fly drones for commercial use and have a broad experience using drones across the construction industry in the UK.

If you would like to speak to one of our Remote Pilot Certificate SUAS (RPCS) qualified pilots to find out how we can support your construction project, please get in touch by calling 08450 990285.