DO YOU have ten minutes to improve health, safety and sustainability in racing? Horse Racing Ireland’s (HRI) health and safety division along with the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association (IRTA) and the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (ITBA) have launched a survey among employers and key stakeholders in the horse racing and breeding industry, exploring a range of specific challenges.

Shane O’Dwyer, Chief Executive of the ITBA, said: “We welcome this survey as a first step in making sure that we give the supports that are relevant around health, safety and sustainability. Completing the survey will help shape and inform our strategy and benefit the entire industry for many years to come.”

The simple online survey has been set up to be easy to fill out and is an anonymous process. The Green Horse has gone through the survey process and it takes less than 10 minutes to complete. The objective of the research is to evaluate the true needs for industry specific. The survey includes questions on sustainability and climate change, yard and personal safety and accessibility to training and advice.

Filling out this survey will help to ensure that the survey findings feed into genuine and meaningful change within the industry. A link to complete the survey is available here: https://www.equuip.ie/health-safety-survey/ and also on Equuip’s social media channels. The survey will remain open until 20th February.

Colin Kehoe, Health & Safety Business Partner at HRI, said: “This is the first time research of this type has been rolled out. HRI sincerely hopes that this survey will assist us to evaluate the current industry culture around health, safety, and sustainability. With its findings we would like to put plans in place to lead a strategy to standardise, improve health, safety and sustainability in racing yards, stud farms and all industry related workplaces.”