diff --git a/frontera/contrib/backends/sqlalchemy/__init__.py b/frontera/contrib/backends/sqlalchemy/__init__.py
index e1625f537..b1da3bdc5 100644
--- a/frontera/contrib/backends/sqlalchemy/__init__.py
+++ b/frontera/contrib/backends/sqlalchemy/__init__.py
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 from sqlalchemy import create_engine
 from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker
-from sqlalchemy.engine.reflection import Inspector
 
 from frontera.core.components import DistributedBackend
 from frontera.contrib.backends import CommonBackend
@@ -127,12 +126,10 @@ def strategy_worker(cls, manager):
         drop_all_tables = settings.get('SQLALCHEMYBACKEND_DROP_ALL_TABLES')
         clear_content = settings.get('SQLALCHEMYBACKEND_CLEAR_CONTENT')
         model = b.models['StateModel']
-        inspector = Inspector.from_engine(b.engine)
 
         if drop_all_tables:
-            if model.__table__.name in inspector.get_table_names():
-                model.__table__.drop(bind=b.engine)
-        model.__table__.create(bind=b.engine)
+            model.__table__.drop(bind=b.engine, checkfirst=True)
+        model.__table__.create(bind=b.engine, checkfirst=True)
 
         if clear_content:
             session = b.session_cls()
@@ -148,18 +145,14 @@ def db_worker(cls, manager):
         settings = manager.settings
         drop = settings.get('SQLALCHEMYBACKEND_DROP_ALL_TABLES')
         clear_content = settings.get('SQLALCHEMYBACKEND_CLEAR_CONTENT')
-        inspector = Inspector.from_engine(b.engine)
 
         metadata_m = b.models['MetadataModel']
         queue_m = b.models['QueueModel']
         if drop:
-            existing = inspector.get_table_names()
-            if metadata_m.__table__.name in existing:
-                metadata_m.__table__.drop(bind=b.engine)
-            if queue_m.__table__.name in existing:
-                queue_m.__table__.drop(bind=b.engine)
-        metadata_m.__table__.create(bind=b.engine)
-        queue_m.__table__.create(bind=b.engine)
+            metadata_m.__table__.drop(bind=b.engine, checkfirst=True)
+            queue_m.__table__.drop(bind=b.engine, checkfirst=True)
+        metadata_m.__table__.create(bind=b.engine, checkfirst=True)
+        queue_m.__table__.create(bind=b.engine, checkfirst=True)
 
         if clear_content:
             session = b.session_cls()