Drone safety
Drone safety covers the hardware and energy sources you handle. Lithium-polymer (LiPo) batteries are the main fire risk. Inspect for swelling, damage, or punctures; never charge unattended or immediately after a flight when hot; use a fire-resistant bag and a suitable charger; and store at storage voltage (often around 3.8 V per cell) rather than fully charged. A swollen battery must be retired and disposed of safely.
Before flight, check propellers for cracks and correct fit, motors for free rotation, the frame and landing gear, firmware and app versions, and compass calibration away from metal and magnetic sources. GPS reception can be degraded near buildings, under bridges, or in urban canyons. Wind, rain, cold, and heat affect performance and battery life. Remote ID and geo-fencing are safety features, not guarantees.
Traps: calibrating the compass on a metal table or near a car; charging a hot battery; assuming prop guards make flight over people safe; ignoring a firmware update that fixes a known failsafe bug; and flying with a partly damaged propeller.
Worked example: after a flight, a battery feels warm and slightly puffy. You do not put it on charge. You let it cool in a safe, fire-resistant place, mark it as defective, and retire it. This prevents a charging fire and is the expected safe action.