CVS Equine launches UK-first health and safety training for all equine veterinary team members
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– New course developed following landmark veterinary workplace safety research with the University of Liverpool –

CVS Equine has launched what is believed to be the first dedicated health and safety training programme designed for all members of the equine veterinary practice team, as part of its ongoing commitment to improving workplace safety across the profession.

The Equine Health & Safety Course, now available via CVS’ internal Knowledge Hub platform, has been developed in response to a three-year collaborative research programme with the University of Liverpool examining the causes, consequences and culture surrounding veterinary workplace injuries.

The course is mandatory for all CVS colleagues who handle horses, including vets, nurses, technicians and patient care assistants, and forms part of a wider programme of cultural and behavioural change aimed at reducing avoidable injuries across the equine sector.

The veterinary profession is widely recognised as one of the most dangerous, with equine practice carrying particularly high risk. Research conducted by the University of Liverpool with CVS found that a significant proportion of equine clinicians experience injuries during their careers, and that these incidents are frequently normalised and underreported, often considered “part of the job”. Many events – including kicks and near-misses – are not formally recognised as reportable injuries.

The new training programme has been designed to directly address these findings, equipping teams with the knowledge, skills and confidence to work more safely and challenge historic attitudes towards risk.

The course focuses on real-world application of safety principles in equine practice, including developing situational awareness and carrying out dynamic risk assessments, understanding equine behaviour and recognising early signs of stress, safe positioning and handling techniques, and the correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE). It also reinforces the importance of incident reporting and supports the development of a no-blame safety culture. In addition, the training signposts colleagues to wider safety frameworks such as radiation protection, medication handling and the CVS euthanasia framework.

The introduction of the training builds on CVS Equine’s earlier move to introduce mandatory PPE, including hard hats, for all colleagues working around horses—another initiative informed by the same research programme.

Simon Joyner, CVS Equine Director said:

“Equine veterinary work brings inherent risks, and the research we’ve supported highlights both the scale of the challenge and the cultural changes needed across the profession.
This course is an important step forward, ensuring that every member of the practice team - not just clinicians - has access to consistent, evidence-based training. By improving awareness, confidence and behaviours around safety, we can help protect our colleagues and ultimately improve outcomes for both people and patients. We hope it will contribute to lasting positive change across the equine veterinary sector, helping to reduce preventable injuries and promote safer ways of working.”

Unlike traditional training, which often focuses primarily on veterinary surgeons, the CVS programme takes a whole-team approach, recognising that safe outcomes depend on the actions, awareness and communication of everyone involved in handling horses.

By making the training accessible across all roles, CVS aims to standardise safety practices across its equine sites, empower colleagues to make safer decisions in dynamic environments, encourage reporting and learning from incidents and near-misses, and support long-term improvements in workplace safety culture.

CVS Equine provides a complete range of industry-leading veterinary services at 21 sites across the UK as well as its out-of-hours clinical and call answering services, Equicall and Equicomms. Its ambulatory veterinary surgeons are supported by a team of over 20 recognised Veterinary Specialists in internal medicine, surgery, dentistry, sports medicine, reproduction and diagnostic imaging based within a network of referral centres. The division offers a multi-disciplinary approach, along with the latest veterinary treatments, diagnostic services, advice, standards and support – as a result of unrivalled investment in people, equipment, facilities and research. For further information visit CVS Equine.