Occupational risks of working with horses: A questionnaire survey of equine veterinary surgeons

Abstract

SummaryLimited scientific evidence from other countries and plenty of anecdotal evidence suggest that the risk of personal injury in equine veterinary practice is high. However, a comprehensive description of the types of risks to which equine veterinary surgeons expose themselves has not previously been available. The aim of this study was to quantify the number, types and causes of personal injury sustained by equine veterinary practitioners in the UK. An interview (and online) questionnaire-based survey was conducted with a large number of equine veterinary practitioners. Questions were designed to identify the number of injuries sustained during the respondent's career to date and to acquire details of the worst injury sustained including cause, treatment and short-and long-term outcomes. A total of 2292 injuries were reported by 620 respondents, equating to one injury every 3 years 7 months in those respondents. Most 'worst' injuries occurred while the veterinary surgeon was conducting most common reasons for equine examination. The most frequent sites of this 'worst' injury were the leg and the head with the main cause of injury being a kick with hindlimb. Of all reports, 33% of injuries resulted in a hospital admission of which 43% required hospital admission for longer than 24 h and 7% of reports resulted in a loss of consciousness. The main limitation of this work is the descriptive nature of the survey. It would be unwise to assume that the procedures identified as being most commonly associated with injury in the study are more risky than other less commonly conducted procedures. In conclusion, equine veterinary practice is a risky profession. Greater emphasis on and awareness of methods to avoid or mitigate risk should be a priority for anyone working with horses and their employers.

A survey of work‐related musculoskeletal disorders associated with performing laparoscopic veterinary surgery

“…The additional comments made by respondents about injury to equine practitioners are in line with the findings of a recent study, with remarks about receiving orthopaedic surgery because of equine work, kicks (even during laparoscopic surgery), working through uncomfortable positions, having busy schedules; in one case, injury resulted in a surgeon having to attend an emergency center . Equine veterinary practice is one of the most hazardous civilian occupations, and equine practitioners can expect to sustain seven to eight injuries during their career, possibly even leading to hospitalization or loss of consciousness.…”

“…This is clearly a significant problem in human laparoscopic surgery. There are no published veterinary studies in which WRMD have been examined specifically with reference to laparoscopic surgery, although a survey of equine veterinarians revealed that theirs is one of the most hazardous civilian occupations, with a high rate of injury during surgeons’ careers . The objective of this study was to investigate the frequency and scope of WRMD in veterinary laparoscopic surgery.…”

British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) response

“…The peerreviewed results of this work are published free online. 1 It is worth noting that 85 per cent of all reported injuries did not affect the head and that 77 per cent of individual's worst reported injuries did not affect the head. The study did not record whether any of the head injuries had occurred in individuals who were wearing head protection, whether head protection had, or would have, altered the extent of the head injury or whether respondents had ever avoided injury as a result of wearing head protection.…”

“…Concerned about equine practitioner safety, BEVA and the Veterinary Defence Society commissioned, at significant expense, research into the occupational risks of working with horses. The peer‐reviewed results of this work are published free online 1 …”

Identifying Sources of Potential Bias When Using Online Survey Data to Explore Horse Training, Management, and Behaviour: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Domestic horses are generally very compliant animals [ 1 ], with an ethology that features exceptional behavioural flexibility and rapid habituation [ 2 ]. In the developed world, they are kept mainly as companion, leisure, or sporting animals rather than working animals and are handled by people with a diversity, and often paucity, of relevant skills [ 3 ]. Veterinary and husbandry interventions as simple as examinations or grooming can bring risks to human safety [ 4 ].…”