(54bn) Safety Cases for Aerial Drone Work in Industrial Plants

New technology may also be disruptive technology; aerial drone technology fits this model. As such it is incumbent upon every person involved in the use of aerial drones in the industrial workplace to apply this technology in as safe a manner as possible, while developing and applying the standards of practice in the workplace. A Safety case is arguably the best means at hand to assess and identify risks and safeguards prior to use of this disruptive technology.

"A Safety Case is a structured argument, supported by evidence, intended to justify that a system is acceptably safe for a specific application in a specific operating environment." 1

This presentation presents three safety case scenarios, and comments on unique aspects identified during the developments of the safety cases. Arguments for the applicability of the safety case and for the use of bowtie methodolgy for hazard assessment within the safety case are presented. The three scenarios include: equipment inspection at altitude, aerial documentation in incident investigation, and response monitoring during emergency response.

1 Defence Standard 00-56 Issue 4 (Part 1): Safety Management Requirements for Defence Systems. UK Ministry of Defence. p. 17.