Drone operations SWMS, drafted for your job
A drone over a live site shares the air with cranes and powerlines, and if it drops, it drops onto people who never saw it coming. Tell us the job and the site: your SWMS is drafted around them, and you check it on site before work starts.
A$39per job
However many high-risk activities it covers.
- However many high-risk activities it covers.
- 3 for A$99
- 10 for A$249
- Yearly A$129 for 120
- Monthly A$60 for 10
You review it on site before work starts.
Your Business
Safe Work Method Statement
Version 1
Draft
Drone operations
Site Your site address
Law Your state
High-risk construction work
Job steps, hazards and controls
| 1 | Plan flight and check airspace | Crewed aircraft; site cranes | High | Check airspace maps; tell the site |
| 2 | Walk the site and set the zone | People below; wires and plant | High | Mark obstacles; barrier the launch area |
| 3 | Pre-flight the drone | Damaged props; flat batteries | Medium | Checklist each flight; fresh batteries in |
| 4 | Launch and fly the mission | Control loss; drift over people | High | Line of sight; spotter on the zone |
| 5 | Land and secure the site | Prop strike on approach | Medium | Clear mat; motors off before handling |
Illustrative first page. Yours carries your business name only.
What you get
What your drone operations SWMS will contain
An A4 document your crew can read on site, a PDF for the builder and a sign-on register.
- Job and site detailsYour business, the site, the principal contractor, the dates.
- High-risk construction workThe categories your job involves, ticked.
- Step-by-step methodEach step with its hazards, risk rating and controls.
- How controls are checkedWho puts each control in place, monitors and reviews it.
- PPE, plant and permitsEquipment and training the job needs.
- Emergency planAssembly point, first aid, nearest hospital to confirm on site.
- Consultation and reviewWho was consulted, when it is reviewed.
- Sign-on registerYour crew signs by QR or on paper.
High-risk construction work
High-risk work on this job
This task is not usually high-risk construction work. If your job involves any category, tick it when you start and the SWMS covers it.
State notes
Rules depend on your state
Pick your state when you start. Your state's regulator publishes the rules and guidance for this work.
Hazards and controls
What goes wrong on a drone operations job, and how the SWMS controls it
These rows are written for this task. Your draft adds the ones your site and method need.
- 1
Drone drifting or dropping onto workers or the public below
High- Keep an exclusion zone under the flight area and brief the site before launch
- Never fly over people; reposition or hold until the area is clear
- Use a spotter to watch the ground while the pilot watches the screen
- 2
Sharing airspace with crewed aircraft, helicopters or site cranes
High- Check airspace maps and the site's crane and lift schedule before flying
- Tell the lift coordinator or site office when the drone goes up
- Land and hold if a helicopter or crane swings toward the flight area
- 3
Signal loss or a dying battery sending the drone out of control
Medium- Set a return-to-home point and confirm it before the job starts
- Land when the battery hits the pilot's reserve, not when it beeps
- Pre-flight check props, batteries and controls before every launch
- 4
Striking overhead lines, poles or plant while watching the screen
Medium- Walk the site first and mark wires, poles and crane swing paths
- Keep the drone in line of sight with the spotter calling obstacles
- 5
Wind gusts or rain pushing the drone off its hold
Medium- Check the forecast and read the on-site wind before launch
- Pack up when gusts pick up or rain starts; the flight can wait
- 6
Cameras recording workers or neighbours who did not expect it
Low- Tell the site before flying and angle cameras away from neighbouring property
- Crop bystanders out of progress shots before sharing them
- 7
Hands and face in the prop arc during launch and landing
Medium- Land on a clear mat with everyone back, never catch the drone
- Kill the motors before approaching; props keep spinning after touchdown
How the job usually runs
- 1Plan flight and check airspaceCrewed aircraft; site cranes → Check airspace maps; tell the site
- 2Walk the site and set the zonePeople below; wires and plant → Mark obstacles; barrier the launch area
- 3Pre-flight the droneDamaged props; flat batteries → Checklist each flight; fresh batteries in
- 4Launch and fly the missionControl loss; drift over people → Line of sight; spotter on the zone
- 5Land and secure the siteProp strike on approach → Clear mat; motors off before handling
PPE for this job
- High-vis shirt or vest
- Safety glasses
- Wide-brim hat and sunscreen
- Safety boots
- Radio or headset for the spotter
Your draft lists the PPE your site and method need.
After you finalise
Brief your crew and send it to your builder
Crew signs by QR
Send to my builder
PDF and register
Builder sent it back?
Make their changes and re-issue the same job free. Workers re-sign the new version.
Questions
Drone operations SWMS questions
- Last reviewed
- 21 October 2026
- How
- Hazard rows checked against the task; no legal line is stated unless it is logged from primary text.
- Next review
- Every six months, or when the method or rules change
Does the SWMS cover flying near cranes or a busy site?
Yes. Tell us the site has cranes or regular lifts and the draft adds a coordination step: check the lift schedule, tell the site before launch, and land and hold if a crane or helicopter moves into the flight area.
What if someone walks into the flight zone?
The draft has the pilot land or hold the drone in a safe position while the spotter clears the zone. Flying only resumes once the exclusion area is clear again.
Is indoor drone inspection covered?
Yes, when you describe the job as indoors. The draft adjusts for enclosed flights: prop guards, slower speeds and the understanding there is no satellite positioning inside.
How much does a drone operations SWMS cost?
One job uses 1 SWMS when you finalise: A$39 for one, however many high-risk activities it covers. AI drafting needs a SWMS pack or plan. Packs and Yearly cost less per SWMS.
Is this a template?
No. You describe the job and the site, and the SWMS is drafted for them. You edit anything, then finalise it.
Who checks the SWMS?
You do, with your crew, on site before work starts. The draft gives you a strong starting point; the person running the work makes sure it matches the site.
My builder sent it back. What now?
Open it, make the changes they asked for and re-issue it. Corrections to the same job are free.
How does my crew sign it?
Show the QR code on your phone or print the A4 sign-on sheet. Workers read and sign on their own phones without an account.
Does it work in my state?
Yes. You choose the state before drafting, and the document names the law that applies there. Victoria uses its OHS Regulations.
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