OSHA Drone Inspections: Part 2

In our previous blog on drones we addressed whether you should or shouldn’t allow OSHA to operate drones on your worksite. We received such an abundance of feedback, we felt it necessary to dive deeper into the topic of drones and what they can mean for the future of workplace safety.

How do drones change “In Plain View”?

Some complain that OSHA’s interpretation of the Plain View Doctrine contains too many gray areas. While it’s understandable that the idea of drones may spark fear of more citations, this is not the intention. The usage of drones not only requires approval from the employer, they also can only be used to examine areas deemed too dangerous to view on foot. Discussions on the topic have certainly ramped up, but it’s important to know that OSHA only used drones 9 times in 2018.

What does the future look like?

More drones.

Whether employers like them or not, drones are a safer way to perform inspections. This is one of the main reasons OSHA has requested to give inspectors permission to use drones nationwide. In 2018 OSHA appointed 10 regional Unmanned Aircraft Program Managers which is evidence that while sparingly used in 2018, drones appear to be a large part of OSHA’s future plans.

What should you do?

As always, our advice is to do everything you can to make your workplace as safe as possible, that way if and when OSHA shows up, you have nothing to worry about. That being said, with potential for drone inspections increasing, we recommend that you do what is needed to maintain a good working relationship with OSHA, whether that means allowing drone use on your job site or not.

For more advice on workplace safety, please reach out to FDRsafety.