Mining companies (in Canada and abroad) are incorporating the use of drones into daily operations to perform tasks that are inefficient, impractical, or unsafe for human operators. Common tasks for drones include monitoring environmental and weather conditions, conducting geophysical surveys, identifying hazardous situations and warning against intruders on-site.
Legal Considerations
The legal considerations for Canadian production and exploration mining companies operating in Canada and abroad are numerous. Not only are companies required to adhere to the regulatory requirements to operate within a given jurisdiction (provided that the foreign jurisdiction allows for the use of drones), careful consideration should be paid to export and import controls when taking drones across international borders.
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Drones – or “unmanned aerial vehicles” – are advancing at a blistering pace. Technological improvements have made drones safer, more accessible, user-friendly and cheaper. Taking to the skies resolves logistical problems, allows for the delivering of goods, permits the collection of mass data and will soon permit passenger travel. These developments represent a paradigm shift in many industries, including: transportation, media and entertainment, mining, agriculture, insurance and logistics.
Businesses that contract for drone services are not necessarily shielded from liability if the drone operator breaks the law. In many ways, the purchaser of drone services is a passive participant in the flight and the drone operator’s actions. The prudent business owner contracting for drone services should consider the various sources of potential liability. Below, we provides some strategies for businesses to manage these risks.