Drone usage is becoming very popular and it can be an extremely powerful way of capturing video and carrying out inspections. However, controlling a drone takes real skill and often requires various levels of drone pilot training. It may sound like a simple task to fly a drone, but there are so many things to think about, from getting the right working at height equipment to ensuring your health and safety measures are all covered with health and safety qualifications. These can be achieved through an IOSH course, for example.

The basics of drone pilot training

There are different types of training to consider when you’re hoping to become a qualified drone pilot. The first is the A2 CofC (Certificate of Competency). Many people will be used to working at height equipment, but not using such equipment as drones. This course gives a strong foundation, and can be carried out in one day. The A2 CofC course allows those who complete it to remotely fly a C2 aircraft as long as it stays a maximum of 30m away from any uninvolved people, among various other teachings.

A second course you could choose to take on for drone pilot training is the GVC course. This full course will allow you to operate drones in the Specific Category.

Alongside these courses, it is always worth considering how up to date your health and safety qualifications are. An IOSH course will help ensure you’re completely safe in the workplace, no matter what kind of task you’re carrying out.

Different ways to put drones to good use in the workplace

Drones have many uses. Perhaps the most common is for video footage. For example, they are great for capturing footage of properties in real estate industries or for capturing promotional material. Previously, working at height equipment would be needed to capture such shots, and even then they wouldn’t be as high quality as drone footage.

Another great use for drones is inspections. For example, an oil company may choose to use a drone to take a close look at some piping in a remote area. They could be used to help wind farm engineers carry out inspections on turbines without causing any potential injury risk to workers. They can provide extremely detailed visuals of even the most intricate pieces of engineering equipment, and so have been a revolutionary tool when it comes to inspection.

The safe use of drones

Regardless of how you use a drone, the first thing to consider is safety. They can be extremely dangerous when not used correctly, which is why only qualified pilots can manage them. You should map out exactly what you want to achieve out of the flight, how you are going to do so and address any potential safety risks as early as you can. This way, any problems can be ironed out and you can carry out your drone flight safely and efficiently.

If you’re unsure about health and safety in any area of your business, a great starting point is to look into an IOSH course (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health). There are two IOSH courses available:

• ‘Working Safely’ - aimed at employees to cover the essentials of workplace health & safety.

• ‘Managing Safely’ - aimed at managers and supervisors to give them the knowledge and skills to ensure a safe workplace for their teams.

Both of these courses are incredibly valuable and combine up-to-date theory with practical exercises to ensure that the knowledge is truly understood and able to be enacted within the work environment. This qualification could help your career progression and keep you moving up the professional ladder, opening doors and creating opportunities.