Drone Operations SWMS

Suits businesses that fly drones (remotely piloted aircraft) for survey, inspection, photography and mapping work, including operators flying under accreditation and holders of a remote pilot licence or RPA operator’s certificate. It covers planning and authority checks, site set-up, pre-flight checks, flying, emergencies, landing, battery handling in the field and incident reporting. It does not replace CASA approvals or an operations manual.

A drone flight is not high risk construction work by itself, so a SWMS is legally required only when the job is construction work with a high risk trigger (WHS Regulation ss 289, 291 and 299), such as work near energised electrical installations or services, beside a road in use or among moving powered mobile plant. Otherwise this works as a written safe work method and task risk assessment. Flights outside the standard RPA operating conditions need CASA approvals and are not covered.

Learn More: What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?
Have you ever been asked to provide a SWMS on a project in Queensland? Read our guide to what a Safe Work Method Statement is and when you need one.

What Is Covered In Our Drone Operations SWMS?

The job steps run in the order the work is done, from pre-start checks to finishing up. The hazards and controls include:

• Flying outside the pilot’s or business’s authority
• Collision with manned aircraft near aerodromes and landing sites
• Aircraft striking people or property
• Contact with overhead power lines and obstacles
• Loss of control in wind, rain and poor visibility
• Lost link, fly-away and motor failure
• Battery fire during charging, carrying and after a crash
• Propeller cuts and burns when landing and swapping batteries
• Vehicles and plant moving near the launch area
• Heat, sun and fatigue on remote sites
• Privacy breaches from recording people
• Missed incident notices and records

High Risk Construction Work

No high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this work is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick the items that apply to your job.

Licences, Training and Competency

• Accreditation to operate excluded and micro RPA (CASR reg 101.374B), or a remote pilot licence (RePL) that covers the aircraft
• RePL for any aircraft over 2 kg flown for hire or reward and for any flight outside the standard RPA operating conditions (CASR regs 101.237, 101.238, 101.252)
• RPA operator’s certificate (ReOC) held by the business where the operations are not excluded RPA operations (CASR reg 101.270)
• Aircraft registered with CASA and the registration certificate or a copy on hand (CASR Part 47); for an excluded RPA, registering it through myCASA is taken as the notice to CASA before its first operation (CASR reg 101.372; MOS 10.14)
• Aviation reference number (ARN) for each pilot
• Aeronautical radio qualification where a RePL holder flies above 400 feet in controlled airspace or within 3 nautical miles of a controlled aerodrome’s movement area (reg 101.300)
• Recorded competency on the aircraft model, its software and any payload
• First aid training for at least one crew member
• Site induction, and the general construction induction training card (white card) only when the work is on a construction site (WHS Reg ss 316-317)
• Observer briefed on their duties, signals and the flight zone

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): overhead electric lines (ss 10, 11 and 13, schedule 2) and electrical incident notices (s 292)
• Civil Aviation Act 1988 (Cth)
• Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (Cth): Part 47 (registration) and Part 101 (unmanned aircraft)
• Part 101 (Unmanned Aircraft and Rockets) Manual of Standards 2019 (Cth)
• Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (Cth) and Transport Safety Investigation Regulations 2021 (Cth): type 1 and type 2 RPA only
• Criminal Code Act 1899 (Qld): s 227A (observations or recordings in breach of privacy)
• Invasion of Privacy Act 1971 (Qld): s 43 (listening devices)
• Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), where the business is covered
• Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Dangerous Goods) Regulation 2018 (Qld): s 6, batteries carried in a work vehicle
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Traffic Management for Construction or Maintenance Work Code of Practice 2008
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• Rural Plant Code of Practice 2024 (its agricultural aviation section covers drones on rural workplaces)
• Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2020 – Working near overhead and underground electric lines (it still quotes the 2013 Regulation: use the 2026 Regulation sections)
• CASA Advisory Circular AC 101-01 and the CASA Part 101 plain English guide (guidance, not law)
• A SWMS is legally required only before high risk construction work (WHS Reg s 299). Most drone flights are not construction work, so this SWMS is used as good practice and as a written safe work method
• This SWMS does not replace CASA approvals, a ReOC holder’s operations manual or the operator’s CASA-accepted procedures; if they differ on a flight matter, those and the aviation rules apply

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (15 pages), laid out on A4 landscape pages
• Business, client, job and document details typed once and filled in on every page, plus a space for your logo
• The high risk construction work checklist, worded as WHS Regulation s 291, and the construction project question (s 292)
• A worker and health and safety representative consultation record
• Qualifications, plant, PPE, hazardous chemicals, safety equipment, permits, references and emergency arrangements filled in for this work
• A 5 x 5 risk matrix, and job steps with initial and residual risk scores and the people responsible
• Implementing, monitoring and review requirements, an additional controls log, revision history and a worker sign-on sheet

Review and adjust it for your site, your aircraft and the way your crew does the job, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. If you have any trouble downloading this SWMS, you can contact us at any time. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.