Operators of SUA’s are currently split on the subject of COVID-19 in a way that I didn’t think I would see again after the Brexit debate!
To work or not to work – that is the question.
Proponents of the stay at home no matter what point to the words “essential” and “absolutely necessary” in the various articles and speeches written and made by politicians, medical experts and (unfortunately), journalists. Often, those determined not to work are related to key workers or those with serious health conditions who need to shield themselves during the outbreak. Their decision is understandably affected by this background which can make the whole subject very emotive.
However, the Government is trying to balance damage to the NHS (and yes, individuals), with damage to the wider economy and society. The latter can and will have longer term and more damaging consequences to the health and welfare of the nation than Coronavirus itself. The official guidance is very clear on the need to keep the economy ticking over where it is safe to do so.
Eyeup’s response.
Eyeup is determined to follow the official Government guidance both now and as they develop.
Current guidance in terms of employment is that people should stay in except to do work which cannot be done from home.
In some cases I can work from home. For example, I have amended my training and consultancy methodology so I can work by video link rather than face-to-face.
However, where a job requires flying things get more difficult. I will risk assess each job and look at the location, distance to travel, number of people likely to be in the area, ground conditions on site and many other aspects. If the assessment indicates too high a risk of interaction with others or of other complications that could cause a drain on the resources of the emergency services, then I will politely decline or ask for postponement. Where I believe I can travel and operate safely then I will be pleased to carry out the task.
Why am I taking this decision?
Because drone technology’s biggest advantage is the fact that it can directly reduce risk to live…primarily through removing or reducing the need to work at height. But is also increases data collection efficiency by orders of magnitude. So the same data can be collected in far less time…significantly reducing time on site and therefore the probabilities of spreading coronavirus
