Oral answer by Ministry of National Development on the use of drones for building inspection
Oct 14, 2024
6532. Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for National Development whether BCA is actively encouraging construction and infrastructure companies to use drones for inspections of projects, especially for the facades of high-rise buildings.
6533. Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry is educating and equipping construction and infrastructure companies to utilize drone technology to increase efficiency and safety in the workplace.
6593. Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how has the use of drones by the building industry helped to improve productivity and effectiveness in building inspections, repairs and maintenance; and (b) whether the process of seeking approvals for the use of drones can be streamlined and the turnaround time for granting approvals improved.
Answer:
The Government has been exploring the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to perform façade inspections and maintenance for high-rise buildings.
The use of UAS in Periodic Façade Inspections (PFI) allows inspections to be conducted more quickly, while reducing costs incurred by building owners. It also improves workplace safety for facade inspectors as they can now inspect building façades from ground level without the need to work at height.
To better equip industry, BCA published two Technical References in 2020 that provide specifications for the industry in using UAS for building façade inspections. In addition, BCA and Enterprise Singapore jointly launched the UAS Accreditation Programme in 2023, which aims to standardise the competencies of service providers and ensure that inspections are carried out by competent Drone Services Providers. The Government has also been investing in Research and Development (R&D) to advance façade inspection technologies.
Beyond façade inspections, the Government is currently exploring how UAS can be used in building maintenance. For example, agencies such as DSTA, HDB and JTC are exploring the potential of using UAS in tandem with robotics, to undertake the cleaning of building facades.
As the use of UAS in building maintenance and repairs is nascent and has not been widely adopted in the industry, BCA will continue to partner the industry and research institutes, to explore new use cases for UAS in the sector.
On the approvals required to use drones, BCA’s approval is required for façade inspections where Competent Persons (CPs) intend to utilise technology, including the use of UAS. Typically, BCA’s approval will be issued within 3 working days.
Drone Services Providers also need to obtain the necessary permits from Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) prior to using UAS to carry out the inspections. CAAS will assess the safety of the UAS operations and coordinate the airspace for UAS activities. In 2022, CAAS and the relevant government agencies established a “green lane” approval process for locations with lower risk, where UAS activity permits are processed within 3 working days. CAAS also leverages on Information Technology (IT) systems to better track and enhance the efficiency of processing approvals.
To keep pace with the application of UAS across more use cases, CAAS will continue to review its regulations and processes with government agencies to streamline the approval process for UAS activities without compromising aviation and public safety, as well as security.