Stakeholder Views on the Potential Benefits and Feasibility of an Equestrian Industry-Specific Health, Safety and Welfare Management System

With the growth of the equestrian industry, risk exposure and the obligation to maintain the health, safety, and welfare of humans and horses remain front and centre. As there has been no apparent reduction in non-fatal human horse-related injuries, we asked industry stakeholders to discuss their cu...

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Main Authors: Meredith Chapman, Kate Fenner, Matthew J. W. Thomas, Kirrilly Thompson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Animals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/23/3450
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author Meredith Chapman
Kate Fenner
Matthew J. W. Thomas
Kirrilly Thompson
author_facet Meredith Chapman
Kate Fenner
Matthew J. W. Thomas
Kirrilly Thompson
author_sort Meredith Chapman
collection DOAJ
description With the growth of the equestrian industry, risk exposure and the obligation to maintain the health, safety, and welfare of humans and horses remain front and centre. As there has been no apparent reduction in non-fatal human horse-related injuries, we asked industry stakeholders to discuss their current management and risk mitigation practices and highlight potential barriers to improving these processes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 stakeholders from Australian equestrian work- (<i>n</i> = 9) and non-work- (<i>n</i> = 11) related organisations to determine the potential benefits and feasibility of adopting an industry-specific health, safety, and welfare (HSW) management system. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management framework, often used by high-risk industries, guided deductive data coding. Most participants preferred formal HSW management systems and supported improvements in their current HSW practices. Industry gaps included (1) lack of training, education material, and competency; (2) social licence to operate (SLO) regarding horse welfare; and (3) management of and resistance to change. Industry barriers included (1) lack of good governance and (2) poor safety culture related to tradition and human behaviours. Most stakeholders sought further collaboration, HSW guidance materials, and national industry representation opportunities, with supporting the concept of an adaptable industry-specific HSW management system. Further multi-sector equestrian stakeholder engagement is recommended to determine the feasibility of adopting and modifying (ISO) 45001:2018 as a suitable equestrian industry-specific HSW management system.
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spelling doaj-art-bd6d1d3fe782429d8f4910f2b10f99702024-12-13T16:21:14ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152024-11-011423345010.3390/ani14233450Stakeholder Views on the Potential Benefits and Feasibility of an Equestrian Industry-Specific Health, Safety and Welfare Management SystemMeredith Chapman0Kate Fenner1Matthew J. W. Thomas2Kirrilly Thompson3School of Health, Medical and Applied Science, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD 4701, AustraliaSchool of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, AustraliaAppleton Institute, Central Queensland University, 44 Greenhill Road, Wayville, SA 5034, AustraliaFlinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5000, AustraliaWith the growth of the equestrian industry, risk exposure and the obligation to maintain the health, safety, and welfare of humans and horses remain front and centre. As there has been no apparent reduction in non-fatal human horse-related injuries, we asked industry stakeholders to discuss their current management and risk mitigation practices and highlight potential barriers to improving these processes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 stakeholders from Australian equestrian work- (<i>n</i> = 9) and non-work- (<i>n</i> = 11) related organisations to determine the potential benefits and feasibility of adopting an industry-specific health, safety, and welfare (HSW) management system. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management framework, often used by high-risk industries, guided deductive data coding. Most participants preferred formal HSW management systems and supported improvements in their current HSW practices. Industry gaps included (1) lack of training, education material, and competency; (2) social licence to operate (SLO) regarding horse welfare; and (3) management of and resistance to change. Industry barriers included (1) lack of good governance and (2) poor safety culture related to tradition and human behaviours. Most stakeholders sought further collaboration, HSW guidance materials, and national industry representation opportunities, with supporting the concept of an adaptable industry-specific HSW management system. Further multi-sector equestrian stakeholder engagement is recommended to determine the feasibility of adopting and modifying (ISO) 45001:2018 as a suitable equestrian industry-specific HSW management system.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/23/3450equestrianismstakeholdershorsesworkplace health and safetywelfare management
spellingShingle Meredith Chapman
Kate Fenner
Matthew J. W. Thomas
Kirrilly Thompson
Stakeholder Views on the Potential Benefits and Feasibility of an Equestrian Industry-Specific Health, Safety and Welfare Management System
Animals
equestrianism
stakeholders
horses
workplace health and safety
welfare management
title Stakeholder Views on the Potential Benefits and Feasibility of an Equestrian Industry-Specific Health, Safety and Welfare Management System
title_full Stakeholder Views on the Potential Benefits and Feasibility of an Equestrian Industry-Specific Health, Safety and Welfare Management System
title_fullStr Stakeholder Views on the Potential Benefits and Feasibility of an Equestrian Industry-Specific Health, Safety and Welfare Management System
title_full_unstemmed Stakeholder Views on the Potential Benefits and Feasibility of an Equestrian Industry-Specific Health, Safety and Welfare Management System
title_short Stakeholder Views on the Potential Benefits and Feasibility of an Equestrian Industry-Specific Health, Safety and Welfare Management System
title_sort stakeholder views on the potential benefits and feasibility of an equestrian industry specific health safety and welfare management system
topic equestrianism
stakeholders
horses
workplace health and safety
welfare management
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/23/3450
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