A Newport company is preparing to use drones to clean high-rise and difficult-to-access buildings, potentially reducing the need for workers to use abseiling equipment, cherry pickers and other traditional methods of working at height.
Bell Cleaning has secured approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to launch a specialist Drone Cleaning Service following more than nine months of development, planning and regulatory work.
The company believes the technology could change how some external building maintenance is undertaken by improving safety while reducing the time, disruption and cost associated with reaching difficult parts of buildings.
Its specialist drone system can be used to clean windows, cladding, façades and other external surfaces which would traditionally require operatives to work at height or businesses to deploy Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs).
The technology could be particularly suited to multi-storey commercial buildings, hotels, hospitals, universities, residential developments, warehouses, industrial sites and shopping centres.
Bell Cleaning has invested in the equipment, specialist training and operational procedures required to bring the technology into commercial use.
A significant hurdle has now been cleared through the company securing SORA approval from the CAA.
The Specific Operations Risk Assessment process requires operators to demonstrate how more complex drone operations can be carried out safely, including detailed consideration of operational risks, procedures and mitigation measures.
Bell Cleaning says the approval places it among a relatively small number of UK cleaning companies currently introducing the technology.
The business will now begin offering the service to customers in Wales and elsewhere in the UK.
Steve Baker, Managing Director of Bell Cleaning, said:
“Achieving our SORA approval is a huge milestone for Bell Cleaning and something our team has worked incredibly hard towards over the last nine months.
“We have invested significantly in developing this service because we believe drone technology has the potential to transform the way high-level external cleaning is delivered.
“Reducing the need for operatives to work at height is a major safety benefit, but the technology also gives us an opportunity to complete certain projects considerably faster and with less disruption and expense for our clients.
“Receiving approval from the CAA means we can now take the service to market, and we are incredibly excited to demonstrate what the technology can achieve.”
Bell Cleaning will now be introducing the Drone Cleaning Service to existing and new clients throughout Wales and across the UK.
Businesses and property owners interested in understanding whether their building is suitable for drone cleaning can arrange a no-obligation site survey and proposal.
The development also provides an example of how drone technology is beginning to move beyond surveying, photography and inspection into more practical commercial applications.
