ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Unmanned aerial vehicles as tools for controlling selected aspects of an organization's security
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THE FACULTY OF ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT, Politechnika Poznańska, Poland
These authors had equal contribution to this work
A - Research concept and design; B - Collection and/or assembly of data; C - Data analysis and interpretation; D - Writing the article; E - Critical revision of the article; F - Final approval of article
Submission date: 2025-10-30
Final revision date: 2026-04-02
Acceptance date: 2026-06-24
Publication date: 2026-06-26
Corresponding author
Tomasz Ewertowski
THE FACULTY OF ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT, Politechnika Poznańska, Ul. Prof. Rychlewskiego 2, 60-965, Poznań, Poland
SLW 2026;64(1):75-94
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ABSTRACT
The research niche of this article lies in the insufficiently explored use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in enhancing security systems in organisations. The purpose of the study was to determine how and in which security domains UAVs can improve the effectiveness of control and supervision processes while reducing operational risk and safety-related costs. The study addresses the gap between rapidly developing UAV technologies and their practical integration into organisational safety management systems. The research hypothesis posits that the integration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) into safety management systems significantly increases the effectiveness and precision of control and supervision processes, resulting in reduced operational risk, enhanced situational awareness, and lower costs of maintaining technical and physical security.
The research employed a six-stage methodology, including a review of scientific literature and legal frameworks, an industrial case study, a focus group scenario, qualitative data collection, and in-depth analysis. The results support the proposed hypothesis, showing that UAV deployment improves inspection efficiency, accuracy, and safety by enabling early detection of anomalies, enhancing situational awareness, and reducing human exposure to hazardous environments. UAVs also facilitate real-time infrastructure monitoring and support predictive maintenance. The findings indicate that UAVs complement rather than replace traditional inspection methods. Their effective implementation requires organisational readiness, including trained personnel, defined procedures, and regulatory compliance. In conclusion, UAV integration enhances risk control, operational performance, and system resilience, strengthening security capabilities, particularly in technical and physical security domains.
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