Risk Considerations in the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the Construction Industry

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the construction industry is swiftly growing worldwide. UAVs are changing the way construction companies do business. Contractors are increasingly using camera-mounted UAVs to monitor the full range of activities. Rapid advances in camera, sensing, aeronautics, battery and autopilot navigation technologies have helped make UAVs affordable, reliable and easy to operate. The US Federal Aviation Administration predicts that UAVs hold tremendous promise and commercial drone sales could increase from 600,000 to 2.7 million over the next four years. On the one hand, UAVs are extremely cost-effective in conducting aerial surveys, worksite surveillance, real-time inspections, and monitoring jobsite safety. On the other hand, with UAV ownership rapidly rising, the number of reported UAV safety, risk, and liability incidents is increasing. With this new technology use in the construction industry, construction companies must be aware of all regulations, legislations, privacy liability, and risks for construction related businesses. Operating a drone or hiring a subcontractor to operate it is not something to do on the spur of the moment. Emphasis and effort should be placed on safety, risk control, training and education. The goal of this paper is to provide construction professionals with timely and pertinent information on UAV use with a focus on risk management based on current industry practice, experience and literature review.