Best Practices for Commercial Use of Drones

It seems like every day there is a news story on the use of drones. Most have a sensational component – whether it is a crash landing on the White House lawn, completing a detailed 3D laser scan of Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue, or injuring a hand like pop-star Enrique Iglesias while trying to reach out and catch a drone.  

Drones are changing the way business is conducted in the commercial realm. In fact, the FAA regulates the usage of drones for commercial or business purposes. This is pertinent for construction companies who are increasingly utilizing camera-mounted drones to monitor their building sites. Through photography or video feeds, drones provide a way to obtain real-time insight on job progress. Drones can also collect a variety of angles, scales, and elevations in order to identify potential hazards or quality issues.  These once extremely difficult to obtain photos and video are now provided by a drone in an expeditious and cost-effective way. 

As usage of drones increases, so does the potential for accidents. Therefore, it is important for operators to use best practices in order to ensure the safety of both people and property. If you are a contractor, it is very likely that your Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy does not have coverage for "aircraft."  An endorsement (if available) or supplementary aviation policy would be required to obtain coverage. 

Below are some common sense best practices that should be adhered to regardless of industry.

• Do not touch a drone that is in flight – you could end up like Mr. Iglesias or worse, like the Brooklyn reporter who had the tip of her nose cut off   
• Do fly in open areas without buildings, cars, trees and other potential hazards
• Do not fly near hot spots – this includes the White House, airports, military bases, power stations, prisons, car accidents, and stadiums
• Do notify the airport or air traffic control if you are flying a drone within five miles of an airport
• Do not spy on people – not only is it creepy; it's illegal
• Do apply for an FAA Certification of Authorization (COA), as well as an exemption to operate commercially
• Do not fly beyond your line of sight – your drone must remain in eyesight, you cannot rely solely on the camera view 
• Do fly when conditions are clear and winds are calm – strong winds result in more course corrections which can increase the likelihood of a crash
• Do not fly in low light or darkened conditions
• Do purchase liability insurance coverage 
• Do not drink and drone

These tips outlined above have been developed in part by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) to help regulate drones for continued commercial use.  While most seem like basic common sense, failure to adhere to them can lead to penalties, jail time, damage to property or injury. Drones are great tools for construction companies, but with any great tool comes great responsibility. Do your homework and follow the set guidelines, and you won’t end up as the next drone horror story.

 

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