Sitting down with Allan recently, finding out more about Helidragon and its operations, I got chatting to Allan about the wider elements of Health & Safety and we quickly found common ground. One aspect in particular was the practical implementation of Health and Safety Systems, beyond the policies and manuals and into the day-to-day practices that make a difference.

In this blog we highlight the practical elements of drone operational safety, from the pre-flight preparations to on-site operations and post-flight review. 

Safety isn’t just a legal obligation—it’s the cornerstone of every successful flight, not just for Helidragon but for every commercial drone operation.

1. Preparation: Plan Before You Fly

A safe flight starts long before the drone takes off. Key preparation steps include:

· Risk Assessment: Identify hazards like weather changes, terrain obstacles, structures, other site operations and nearby people. Always consider potential emergencies, such as GPS loss or technical failures.

· Airspace Awareness: Check the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) databases for restricted zones, controlled airspace, and temporary flight restrictions.

· Flight Planning: Map your route, altitudes, take-off and landing positions and contingencies.

· Equipment Prep: Ensure batteries are charged, firmware is updated, and all equipment is in good working order.

· Using specific Drone Software: like ‘Dronedesk’ to assist with operation planning and safety monitoring 

· Checking emergency procedures: are suitable and relevant contacts are up to date for the area. 

Having a sound and thorough plan is essential to a smooth operation and should detail how the job is going to work. This may start weeks before the flight itself, visiting the site and scoping the area, discussing with the client their requirement and the site operational risks. 

Plan the work - Work the plan