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Drone surveys RAMS Builder
Drone survey risk assessment and method statement
Prepare RAMS for aerial inspection flights and photogrammetry mapping over a site. Add the operator IDs, airspace and flight area details, edit the suggested steps and review the PDF draft.
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Prepare the Drone surveys RAMS
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What will you be doing?
More details
Pick everything this RAMS covers. The questions that follow are chosen from what you tick here.
What a Drone surveys RAMS covers
Drone survey work here means flying a small unmanned aircraft to inspect a structure or roof, or to capture the overlapping images a mapping survey needs.
- Aerial inspection
- Photogrammetry mapping
Suggested steps and hazards for Drone surveys
What it offers for aerial inspection before you have answered anything.
Check your IDs and which category you fly in
- The Operator ID goes on a label on the drone; the pilot needs a Flyer ID.
- Work out which category this flight is in: A1, A2, A3 or Specific.
- Paid work does not need extra permission; the drone and where you fly decide the category.
Hazard
Flying without the IDs or outside the category that covers the flight
Who might be harmed and how
The pilot and everyone under the flight
Controls in place
- Keep the IDs and any certificate with you on the job.
- Not sure of the category: do not fly until you are.
The CAA can fine or prosecute a pilot who flies without the IDs or outside the rules.
Flying drones for work Check the airspace on the day
- Check a drone app for restricted zones, airfields and temporary restrictions before every flight.
- Look for cranes, masts, wires and other aircraft near the route.
Hazard
The drone flies into restricted airspace or meets another aircraft
Who might be harmed and how
The pilot, people below and other aircraft
Controls in place
- Do not trust the map in the drone alone.
- Get written permission from the airfield before flying in its zone.
Restrictions change daily and flying in a restricted zone is a criminal offence.
Set up a clear take-off and landing spot
- Pick a flat spot away from people, plant and traffic, and barrier it off.
- Keep cases, cables and batteries out of walkways.
Hazard
Someone walks into the drone as it lands or trips over the kit
Who might be harmed and how
The team, site workers and the public
Controls in place
- Have someone stop people walking into the spot while the drone is in the air.
- Keep it clear until the drone is shut down.
Most drone injuries happen at take-off and landing, not in the air.
HSE: Protecting the public
What the builder asks about Drone surveys
Your answers decide which steps, hazards and controls it suggests.
The job
- What drone are you flying?
- What do you have for this flight?
- What does the client want from the mapping?
Where
- Who will be near the flight?
- Where is the flight?
How it’s done
- What will you stand on to reach the work?
What your Drone surveys RAMS includes
Method statement
The sequence of the work, step by step. The suggestions are a starting point; you write the method for the job as it will be done.
Risk assessment
Each hazard, who could be harmed, the controls in place and any further action. There is no risk score: you judge each row against the real site, and adding a hazard does not put its controls in place.
PDF draft for review
The document as you left it, for someone competent to check. A download is not approval and not permission to start work.