SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE
Drone cleaning safety, planned like a mission.
Your building has people below it and airspace above it. We plan for both: a site-specific safety plan, written before the first flight and shared with you before launch.
Flown and logged: Empower Field at Mile HighDenver Performing Arts ComplexUCHealth Memorial Hospital Central
THE SAFETY PLAN
Before a rotor turns, the plan is written.
For a facility manager, safety isn't just a checkbox. It's the entire conversation, and it's where the plan for your site starts.
Before the first flight we assess your site: its height, the obstacles, access to water and power, and the people and traffic below.
Then we write a safety plan for that site alone. It covers:
- The flight areas, and the perimeter we mark below them
- The cleaning methods, matched to each surface
- How we mitigate each risk, from the wind to the foot traffic below
- Permits, signage and traffic control wherever the work meets a sidewalk or a street
You see that plan before launch, so your team knows where we will fly and where the perimeter goes.
HOW A MISSION RUNS
From pre-flight to landing.
PRE-FLIGHT
Mark the ground
We set the safety perimeter, stage the water filtration and, near a sidewalk or a street, put up MUTCD standard signage.
AIRSPACE
Check the sky
We check the airspace over your building. Where the FAA requires authorization, we request it for your operation before the drone leaves the ground.
LIFT-OFF
Test, then fly
A diagnostic test flight checks the equipment first. Then the drone lifts off, with trained observers beside the pilot watching the air and the ground.
IN FLIGHT
Watch the wind
We measure the wind on site, at ground level and mid-facade, never trusting the forecast alone, and photograph the wind meter every hour for the job record. If wind, rain or lightning makes flying unsafe, we stop.
STANDARD PROCEDURES
Our standard procedures, by name.
Your safety plan draws on them: it sets out which ones your site needs, and where.
Aviation & Airspace Management
- FAA Communication & Clearance Direct coordination with federal authorities for every flight mission in controlled airspace.
- Restricted Airspace Approval Formal authorization for flights in sensitive or high-security zones, such as near airports.
- Pre-Mission Diagnostic Flights Test flights that verify the equipment before the mission begins.
- Manufacturer Usage Compliance
- Regular Drone Maintenance Documented maintenance schedules for proper performance and safety.
On-Site Control & Signage
- Safety Zone Perimeter Active work areas are marked with caution tape, construction cones, and physical barricades.
- MUTCD Standard Signage FHWA-compliant traffic signs, signals and road markings to protect pedestrians and vehicles.
- Traffic Control Plans (TCP) Engineered plans for safe flow on or near public sidewalks, streets and parks.
- Permit Management Every required municipal and local permit, in hand before launch.
- Site-Specific Safety Plans (SSSP) Every site gets its own plan.
Crew Training & Equipment
- Visual Observer (VO) Teams Trained observers assist the pilot to maintain 360-degree situational awareness.
- Dedicated Safety Coordinators Personnel assigned to oversee ground-level risk on large or complex job sites.
- Full PPE Compliance PPE such as safety glasses, gloves, proper footwear and hard hats, as required.
- Mobile Safety Trailers A trailer with eye wash stations, first aid kits, fire extinguishers and fire blankets.
- Emergency Response Training All crew members are trained on the location and immediate use of all emergency equipment.
- Weather Intelligence Pilots trained to read weather data and halt flights when wind, precipitation or lightning could make conditions unsafe.
- Shared Cleaning Plans Detailed mission plans are shared with the client prior to launch for total transparency.
FROM THE FLIGHT LOG
Where a lift cannot go, a plan can.
Two jobs from our log, and what stood in the way at each.
Denver Performing Arts Complex
Delicate stone walkways hide a snow-melt system just beneath the surface. A boom lift or a crane risked crushing the heating elements and cracking the stone, so we worked from the air and kept heavy machinery off the walkways.
UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central
Key sections had no roof anchors, so rope drops were impossible there, and a safety net about eight feet around the roofline kept any crew away from the edge. Under an active medevac helipad, we kept constant radio contact with the LifeLine team and worked to a formal safety plan for any inbound helicopter.
THE PILOT
Part 107 is the floor.
Under Part 107, the remote pilot in command needs "a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating." The FAA certificates people, not companies, drones or technicians.
We treat that certificate as the floor, not the ceiling. The written plan, the marked perimeter, trained observers and a crew trained for weather and emergencies are what we build on top of it.
The FAA Part 107 certificate is the bare minimum to fly a drone. It's like saying someone has a driver's license and assuming they can operate a semi-truck.
Your site is next in the log.
Tell us about the building and what sits below it, and a project manager comes back with questions, then a plan you see before launch.
QUESTIONS
Straight answers, before you call.
Is drone window cleaning safe for the people below?
Below the aircraft we mark a safety zone perimeter with caution tape, cones and barricades, put MUTCD standard signage on any sidewalk or street we work near, and station trained observers with the pilot. In most cases no one needs roof access, because we fly from the ground.
Who is on site when you fly?
A remote pilot, with trained visual observers beside them, and on large or complex job sites a dedicated safety coordinator for ground-level risk. Before any of them arrive, a project manager has planned the job with you.
Do you need FAA authorization to fly near my building?
It depends on the airspace over your site, and we check it while we plan the job. Where the FAA requires authorization, we request it for your operation before the drone leaves the ground. Authorizations are per airspace and operation, not a standing credential, so no earlier job covers yours.
Does the FAA certify drone cleaning companies?
No. Under Part 107, the FAA certificates people, not companies, drones or technicians: it is the remote pilot in command who needs "a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating." So when you compare contractors, ask about the people who will fly, observe and coordinate on your site.
Does OSHA have rules for drone window or building cleaning?
Not yet. Right now, OSHA does not have a regulation written specifically for drones or drone-based cleaning systems. The General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act still applies, though: each employer "shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees." OSHA handles safety on the ground, and the FAA handles safety in the air.
Can I see the safety plan before you fly?
Yes. Detailed mission plans are shared with you before launch: the flight areas, the cleaning methods and how each risk is handled, from the perimeter below to the airspace above.
What happens if the weather turns?
Our pilots are trained to read weather data and halt flights when wind, precipitation or lightning could make conditions unsafe. We measure the wind on site, never trusting the forecast alone, and we build at least one buffer day into the schedule.
What if the work is over a sidewalk or a street?
We plan for it. Where the work meets a public sidewalk, street or park, we work to a traffic control plan, post MUTCD standard signage and secure the municipal and local permits the job requires before launch.
Still a question? Ask it in the form
REQUEST A QUOTE
Tell us about the building.
Send your building details. A project manager will follow up with questions, then a plan.
Or reach us directly+1 (866) 838-1555info@trydronewash.com