Risk analysis¶
Using the information gathered in the site evaluation and from any other sources, identify each risk associated with the flight and estimate its likelihood and severity. Bear in mind that some risks will always be present and some will be site-specific.
Severity and likelihood are both evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5:
| Value | Severity | Likelihood |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No Injury, Property damage | Extremely Unlikely |
| 2 | Minor Injury | Remotely Possible |
| 3 | Reportable Injury | Will Possibly Occur |
| 4 | Major Injury / Single Fatality | Will Probably Occur |
| 5 | Multiple Fatalities | Almost Certain |
Risk score is calculated as likelihood × severity:
| Score | Level | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | Low | May be accepted; review to confirm no further mitigation is practical |
| 5–12 | Medium | Flight should only proceed with specific additional measures in place |
| 13–25 | High | Flight must not proceed unless the risk can be sufficiently mitigated |
After controls are applied, residual likelihood and severity are recorded to produce a residual risk score that should be lower than the initial score.
Risk analysis in the Drones app¶
The risk analysis is completed in the Drones app. Open a project and select Risk Analysis from the project page.
Views¶
The page has two tabs:
- Matrix — a 5×5 grid showing all risks plotted by likelihood and severity. Cells are colour-coded green / amber / red according to the score bands above. Click any risk badge in the matrix to jump to its row in the table.
- Table — a full list of risks with all fields visible. Cells can be edited inline; changes are saved automatically without reloading the page.
Pre-populated risks¶
When a project's risk analysis is opened for the first time, the system automatically adds:
- Standard risks — hazards that apply to every operation (e.g. competence, weather, emergency procedures, UAS collision).
- Context-triggered risks — additional hazards added based on the project's operational parameters:
| Trigger | Hazard added |
|---|---|
| Urban area | Pedestrians and traffic; crash into building/people |
| Rural area | Wildlife, livestock and domestic pets |
| BVLOS | Loss of visual contact |
| Controlled airspace | Airspace incursion |
| Protected nature area | Nature area disturbance |
| Flying over water | Ditching risk |
If the project's operational parameters change after initial creation, the system adds any newly-applicable triggered risks the next time the risk analysis page is opened.
Adding and editing risks¶
Use the Add Risk button to add a risk:
- Blank Risk — creates an empty row for a fully custom hazard.
- From Library — select a standard hazard from the organisation's risk library to pre-fill the hazard name, suggested controls, and people at risk. Library entries already present in the project are hidden from this menu.
Click any cell in the table to edit it directly. Likelihood and severity dropdowns recalculate the risk score immediately. The matrix is updated when you switch to the Matrix tab.
Dismissing and deleting risks¶
Each risk row has an action menu at the right:
- Dismiss — hides the risk from the table but keeps a record that it was considered. Use this for auto-triggered risks that are not relevant to a particular operation. Dismissed risks can be restored via the Show dismissed toggle.
- Delete — permanently removes the risk. Use this for risks added in error.
Templates¶
If the same set of risks applies across multiple projects, the current analysis can be saved as a named template using the Save as Template button. Templates can be applied to other projects via the Apply Template menu, either merging with existing risks or replacing them. Organisation administrators can promote a personal template to organisation-wide so that all users can apply it.
Risk library (administrators)¶
The organisation's risk library is managed by administrators under Admin → Risk Library. Each entry can be marked as standard (automatically added to every new project) or given context triggers so it is only added when relevant operational parameters are set. Entries can be enabled or disabled without deleting them.