Working under the Shadow of Drones: Investigating Occupational Safety Hazards among Commercial Drone Pilots.

Occupational Applications: A long-standing debate has surrounded the factors that lead to drone mishaps. The results of our study indicate that, from the perspective of drone pilots, situational awareness, decision-based, and skill-based errors are the primary human-factors relevant causes of drone mishaps. Additionally, deficiencies in drone interfaces should be addressed comprehensively to ensure humans can more precisely control drones. Our findings suggest that following safety procedures, receiving technical training, and flying outdoors were associated with a reduced risk of drone-related mishaps at work. Technical Abstract: Background: Commercial drones are rapidly transforming business operations, however there is a paucity of research evaluating occupational hazards and risks associated with drone deployment in the workplace. Purpose: We aimed to identify challenges of human-drone collaborations and assess drone pilot perceptions of workplace safety. Methods: An online questionnaire was generated and sent to 308 drone pilots working in different industries. A total of 75 of responses were included for data analysis. Descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, and association rule mining were employed to extract knowledge from the obtained data. Results: Our results indicate that human factors are the main contributors to workplace drone mishaps. Poor communication, information display, and control modes were found to be chief obstacles to effective human-drone collaboration. Drone pilots indicated a propensity for complying with and participating in safety practices. Following safety procedures, receiving technical training, and flying outdoors may all be associated with a lower risk of drone mishaps. Conclusions: Offering professional training to pilots and following safety procedures could decrease the risks associated with occupational drones.