Interserve Construction, consulting engineer Arup and house builder Berkeley Homes are among the UK’s 1,400 officially licensed drone operators, according to a list published by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The CAA awards the licences following a six-month assessment process which costs around £2,000.
Ian Renhard, managing director for Interserve Construction, said: “We recently became one of the CAA accredited drone operators, and we’re training our staff to be able to collect imagery and data using drone technology.
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“We are seeing technology in construction advancing all the time and I believe investing in our drone capabilities will play an important role in how we combine practical knowledge, technology and data-led digital solutions, to deliver better services to our customers.
“This investment is part of our wider innovation strategy, that also saw us become the first contractor to achieve BIM Level 2 accreditation.”
Other contractors with CAA drone licences are fit-out specialist Styles & Wood and Scottish envelope outfit Roof Linings & Cladding.
Consultants on the list include Adept, Derby-based Tomlinson Site Engineering, Devon’s 4D Civil Engineering Surveying and Welsh firm Civil Engineering Solutions.
East Anglia construction equipment hire firm West Dereham Plant also has a drone licence.
Utilities such as National Grid, Thames Water and South West Water are all on the CAA list, along with social housing organisations Colchester Borough Homes and Walsall Housing Group.
The full list of the 1,400 licenced drones operators is published on the CAA website.
The use of drones – or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – is expected to become commonplace in construction, however a building surveyor who regularly uses the technology has warned about the dangers of not following the legal requirements for operators.
“All drone users must comply with CAA requirements, otherwise they face being prosecuted, losing their equipment and having to pay a hefty fine,” Robert Barnes, head of building surveying at LBC Building Consultants, told CM.
“To operate a drone a commercial basis, you must ensure that you have fulfilled the requirements of the CAA and obtain its permission. This involves: web-based training; a three-day ground school with examination; a one-day flight test; preparation of your operating manual; and valid insurance.”
