Sports and recreation

Everything for the sports and recreation industry in one place.

Safety alert

Artificial climbing structures

All safety alerts

Your obligations and duties to create a safe work environment.

Consultation between employers, workers and HSRs is essential.

Understand how to become an HSR, the powers of an HSR and an employer's obligations to HSRs.

You might also need

Find useful information and services to help your workplace in your industry.

Horse racing

Hazards

Hazard 1
Disease
Develop and implement appropriate policies and procedures to ensure good hygiene (eg hand-washing, disposal of waste).

Ensure good ventilation.

Consider immunisation where appropriate.
Hazard 2
Handling horses
Ensure safe distances are maintained from other horses when riding or leading horses.

Provide appropriate personal protective equipment and clothing for employees to wear while in vicinity of horses (eg high visibility safety vest, leather or steel capped boots).

Provide appropriate helmets (eg with nylon interlocking chin straps to secure helmet) that are approved by the Australian Racing Board and ensure they are well-maintained, less than five years old (date of manufacture should be clearly labelled) and discarded if they sustain a severe impact.

Develop and implement appropriate policies and procedures to ensure rider safety (eg every rider, when mounted, should wear a properly fastened safety vest that is Australian Racing Board approved. Riders must not smoke or use phones or other electronic devices whilst mounted on a horse).

Ensure tack is maintained in good condition (eg rein grips, bridles, girths maintained).

Ensure horses are properly bridled and saddled when ridden. While being led outside stable premises, horses should be bridled where possible, with the bit attached to a lead for leading.

10 per cent of the injuries were to a persons knee.

13 per cent of the injuries were to a persons shoulder.

5 per cent of the injuries were to a persons face.

14 per cent of the injuries were to a persons back.

6 per cent of the injuries were to a persons hand / fingers.

7 per cent of the injuries were to a persons forearm / wrist.
Hazard 3
Lifting and handling materials
Provide appropriate equipment (eg height adjustable work platforms or stands, wheelbarrows, trolleys) and ensure they are used properly and maintained in accordance with manufacturer specifications.

Train employees in the selection and use of any mechanical equipment and aids and safe handling methods (eg work is done between shoulder and mid-thigh height and with the elbows close to the body).

Arrange for stock to be delivered to storage areas, where possible.

Order stock in smaller sizes (eg bags of 20kg instead of 40kg).

Ensure the weight of feed bags, bales and buckets that are manually lifted are below 20kg.

13 per cent of the injuries were to a persons shoulder.

14 per cent of the injuries were to a persons back.
Hazard 4
Other
Provide health and safety education such as stable induction to workers.

Highlight chemical / electrical safety.

Guarding is provided to in running nip point on hoppers, mixers, chaff cutters, augers, and exposed belt drives.

Emergency stops are accessible to operator on treadmills and walkers etc.

Swimming pools are maintained and safety equipment is in place. Use should be monitored.
Hazard 5
Reporting and training
Establish and maintain a register of injuries.

Encourage employees to report workplace injuries / accidents / illnesses.
Hazard 6
Slips trips and falls
Ensure indoor floor surfaces in work areas and walkways are level, non-slip or slip-resistant and kept dry and clear of clutter and obstructions.

Regularly tidy and remove clutter so it does not accumulate (eg hoses rolled up, tacks neatly put away).

Ensure efficient drainage of indoor / outdoor ground surfaces.

Ensure float and ramps are clean with non-slip foot grips.

Ensure appropriate lighting in work and stable areas.

Conduct regular workplace inspections and report / remove any identified slip, trip and fall hazards.

Ensure employees wear appropriate footwear (eg non-slip).

10 per cent of the injuries were to a persons knee.

13 per cent of the injuries were to a persons shoulder.

14 per cent of the injuries were to a persons back.

6 per cent of the injuries were to a persons hand / fingers.

7 per cent of the injuries were to a persons forearm / wrist.

6 per cent of the injuries were to a persons leg.
Hazard 7
Track riding conditions / environment
Develop strict track-work policies and procedures (eg wearing of safety gear, track-work times, codes of conduct, consideration of weather conditions, injuries etc).

Provide a track induction for riders / trainers.

Provide safety warning lights and ensure they are affixed to helmets when horses are ridden in the dark.

Ensure training occurs in daylight or if in pre-dawn hours, track supervisors are able to clearly observe horses / riders on track.

Establish consultation / issue resolution procedures for track safety issues that include jockeys, trainers, race course management and stewards.

Provide adequate lighting for float parks and stripping shed areas.

Corner poles and fence posts on track should be padded.

Ensure all training track sessions are supervised to ensure safety measure compliance (eg safety gear / tack quality / condition checks).

6 per cent of the injuries were to a persons head.

10 per cent of the injuries were to a persons knee.

13 per cent of the injuries were to a persons shoulder.

14 per cent of the injuries were to a persons back.

6 per cent of the injuries were to a persons hand / fingers.

'If you are injured at work' poster

Employers must display an 'if you are injured at work' poster in every workplace. You can download and print a poster in English as well as Arabic, Chinese simplified, Chinese traditional, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese.

Download a poster

News and alerts

Thursday 03 July 2025

WorkSafe is investigating the death of a stable worker following an incident with a horse at Cranbourne on Tuesday morning.

Monday 02 June 2025

WorkSafe is giving Victoria’s farming champions another chance to be crowned Footy’s Favourite Farmer and win more than $20,000 worth of safety upgrades.

Wednesday 06 November 2024

An indoor play centre has been convicted and fined a total of $60,000 after an eight-year-old girl suffered two compression fractures to her spine when her safety equipment failed and she fell about seven metres from a rope ladder.

Sports and recreation

Safety alert

OHS responsibilities and duties

Consultation

Health and safety representatives (HSRs)

You might also need

Insurance, claims and recovery

Psychological health

Employer obligations

Workplace resources

Understand WorkSafe

Injury hotspots

Horse racing

Hazards

Disease

Handling horses

Lifting and handling materials

Other

Reporting and training

Slips trips and falls

Track riding conditions / environment

'If you are injured at work' poster

Don't cross

the line

News and alerts

WorkSafe investigates death at racing stables

Call to nominate a local farming champion

Play centre fined $60,000 after child fractures spine in fall

Information

Services

About WorkSafe

Contact