Developments like Amazon’s recent announcement that it expects “within months” to begin delivering packages via drone, coupled with the anticipated impact of 5G wireless technology on drone use, have captured headlines.

How drones ultimately will be used is uncertain, but it’s clear that increased use of unmanned aircraft will likely alter the risk landscape.

From a risk-management perspective, it’s worth considering how drones could create new risks while also recognizing their potential value as a risk-mitigation tool.

For example, one might reasonably infer that the longer a drone is in the air, the greater the likelihood that it will crash, lose or damage its payload, or in some other way cause injury.

Conversely, the ability of drones to take the place of people engaging in dangerous tasks—say, inspecting power lines—might generally be viewed as reducing risk.