Drones sent flying underground to check sewers by utility company

Drones are being flown underground to check the condition of sewers in Scotland.

Scottish Water is using drones to accurately assess the condition of its infrastructure. Drones are helping to make key decisions about investment in maintenance or rehabilitation work.

In fact, drone teams of just two operatives can replace traditional teams of up to 15 workers.

Operatives use drones and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanning and measurement techniques.

The bespoke drones fly into sewers, effectively replacing workers in challenging and dangerous underground conditions.

Plus, the more accurate surveys will cut the cost of repairs and maintenance.

Iain Jones, Risk and Life Cycle Planning Manager at Scottish Water, said: “This is the first time we’ve used drones adapted for sewers and LiDAR together for sewer surveys and we are really excited about it.

“We want to improve the accuracy of our surveys and, for safety reasons, we want to reduce the number of workers needed to carry out survey work inside sewers. The drone does both and they will also help us in our aim to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040.”

Read the story in full here.

The CIP H&S Manual contains guidance on the use of drones. Click here for details.