Barriers to drone utilization in construction site safety

The adoption of drone technology in construction site safety remains inconsistent despite growing technical capability and availability. This study investigates the structural barriers that constrain adoption across regulatory, technical, organizational, social and environmental domains. Drawing on quantitative indicators reported in recent literature, the research synthesizes empirical findings from multiple studies to identify dominant patterns in barrier occurrence and severity. Descriptive comparisons of reported mean scores, construct coefficients and barrier frequencies reveal a consistent hierarchy in which regulatory and technical constraints exert the strongest influence on adoption decisions. Restricted operational zones, unclear safety regulations, limited flight duration, collision risks and piloting skill requirements repeatedly appear among the highest-ranked barriers across different regional contexts. Socio-organizational issues such as workforce resistance, privacy concerns and training gaps further contribute to adoption inertia, while economic barriers often emerge as secondary effects of regulatory uncertainty and technical unreliability. The findings demonstrate that drone adoption in construction safety is shaped by interconnected institutional and technological constraints rather than a single limiting factor. Addressing these barriers requires coordinated efforts across regulatory bodies, industry organizations and project-level management systems to create clearer policies, standardized procedures and workforce integration strategies that support safe and routine drone operations.