Drone & UAV use Policy
Drone & UAV use – Local Rules
This set of local rules are designed to effectively implement the UoS ‘Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)/Drone policy (Feb 2022) within the School, ensuring our compliance with legal duties regarding health and safety, as well as requirements of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and data protection legislation. As well as following these rules it is advised you still familiarise yourself with this wider policy and advice on the CAA website.
If you have any queries regarding this policy or drone activities, please contact Mark Johnson (m.d.johnson@shef.ac.uk)
Flying outdoors in the UK
1. Drone pilots need to complete a short-course and register with the CAA here to gain a Flyer ID
2. Operators of drones (the PI responsible) needs to register with the CAA here for an Operator ID. They also need to ensure drones are labelled with their Operator ID.
3. Notify Health & Safety (safety@sheffield.ac.uk) of your Flyer/Operator IDs and you will be added to the Drone Users Working Group.
4. Notify BIS of your Flyer/Operator IDs, drone model details/category so that the School can maintain a register by completing Drone Registration Form.
5. All drone activity must be risk assessed to consider the location, site features, usage of site and weather conditions. A Generic Drone Activity Risk Assessment can be downloaded and amended as required, and combined with a separate Site Specific risk assessment. Please email a copy of your assessments to m.d.johnson@sheffield.ac.uk.
6. Ensure your flights comply with Minimum University Safety Requirements found here. These should be included in your Risk Assessment.
7. Ensure adequate public liability insurance is in place. The University provides cover to staff/students operating drones in the UK as long as they weigh <20kg without fuel. Insurance does not cover damage or theft of drones. For further details consult the full UoS drone policy document.
8. Gain permission from landowners, or if flying on UoS property gain permission from University Estates (EFM) and University Security by emailing
flying-drones-group@sheffield.ac.uk with details of:
a. Reason for flight
b. Time
c. Date
d. Location
e. Risk assessment
f. Map of flight zone
9. In the event of an unforeseen adverse event the Drone Emergency Procedure should be followed.
Flying drones overseas
The same process as flying drones in the UK applies to flying abroad, with the notable exceptions of:
1. You must contact University Insurance if you are flying drones overseas
2. You must pay particular attention to local legislation regarding flying UAVs and Drones in other countries, as requirements may differ significantly from those of the CAA. 3. As with flying in the UK, all activity and flying sites must be fully risk assessed.
Resources
Generic Drone Activity Risk Assessment
UoS Minimum University Safety Requirements
Flow diagram
