New agreement allows HSA to deploy drones to assist in serious incident investigations

Friday 23rd January 2026

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AirNav Ireland to enable the safe and coordinated operation of HSA drones within controlled Irish airspace during serious workplace incident investigations.

The Health and Safety Authority has responsibility in relation to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (the 2005 Act) and several codes of legislation. If an incident or accident involves a breach of the 2005 Act or other health and safety legislation, then inspectors for the Authority will take appropriate enforcement action.

The function of AirNav Ireland is to provide air traffic management and related services within the 451.000km2 of airspace controlled by Ireland. The functions are outlined in Section 14 of the Air Navigation and Transport Act 2022.

Under the agreement, AirNav Ireland will facilitate HSA access to controlled airspace such as Dublin, Shannon, Cork and regional airports, and provide short‑notice flight approvals where required. This will allow the HSA to deploy trained drone pilots to capture high‑quality aerial photographs and video evidence at incident scenes, including hazardous environments.

Mark Cullen, CEO of the Health and Safety Authority, said,

“This agreement with AirNav Ireland marks an important step forward in how we investigate serious workplace incidents. Drones give us the ability to capture high‑quality aerial evidence safely and quickly, especially in locations that may be dangerous or inaccessible to inspectors.”

Mr Cullen continued,

“By formalising how we work together, this MOU ensures our drone operations take place safely within controlled airspace and in line with all aviation requirements. Ultimately, this strengthens our ability to understand how incidents occur and to help prevent similar tragedies in the future.”

The HSA has established a regionally based team of drone pilots who support inspectors during serious and fatal accident investigations. Drone technology enables improved evidence collection, safer access to high‑risk locations, and better-quality data for investigation files and potential prosecutions.

Cathal MacCriostail, Manager of Airspace & Navigation at AirNav Ireland added,

“AirNav Ireland is pleased to support the HSA in using drone technology as part of its investigation work. This agreement establishes clear and practical procedures to facilitate drone flights within controlled airspace while maintaining the highest standards of aviation safety.”

“Our goal is to ensure that these important missions can take place safely, efficiently and in full coordination with air traffic services across the State”,

Cathal added.