Design requirements spelt out at meeting.
Equine vets are urging manufacturers to develop safety headwear specifically designed to keep them safe at work.
Vets say they need helmets that combine safety and comfort with practicality - such as attaching head-torches and visors. But currently, no such product appears to exist.
This was the consensus of a meeting of vets, vet nurses, yard managers, health and safety experts and representatives from Uvex, which makes industrial PPE besides riding headgear.
The gathering was prompted by new research from Dr. John Tulloch. Funded by CVS Group, which runs 21 equine vet practices across the UK, it identifies high risks of head injury when vets and vet nurses are working with horses.
Following publication of the study in Preventative Veterinary Medicine, CVS has made it mandatory for employees handling horses to wear protective helmets.
“While staff are currently able to choose from a range of helmet designs - including riding helmets and headwear used by emergency services - none have been specifically engineered for the unique demands of equine veterinary practice,” said a spokesperson for the company.
“This gap in design and functionality has sparked a collaborative effort to explore what a truly effective and practical helmet for veterinary professionals should look like, what the differing safety tests are and what helmets are currently available which may meet these requirements and be adapted for use within the veterinary industry.”
The meeting also addressed the cultural shift required to normalise helmet use in equine veterinary settings.
“Collaboration between veterinary professionals, researchers and manufacturers is essential to develop a helmet that meets both safety standards and the practical realities of the equine veterinary industry,” added the spokesperson.
Consultation and trials of different types of PPE helmets and accessories are planned with the goal of finding a product that’s protective yet acceptable for use across the veterinary profession.
Dr Tulloch’s research on injuries to vets can be found here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167587725001266?via%3Dihub#bibliog0005
