Part five in the series, this week focuses on hi viz and digital aids
Can you be clearly seen when riding out on the road?
Don’t take unnecessary risks when hacking out – wear your hi-viz! These garments’ colour and luminance ensure that you can be seen in the daytime and their retroreflective strips are illuminated by vehicle headlights to make your more visible in the dark.
Are your hi-viz garments up to standard?
Don’t take unnecessary risks, make sure your hi-viz garment is up to standard. If it’s not and you were involved in an accident, your insurance cover could be invalidated. Current hi-viz standards are: EN ISO 20471:2013 for professional use (when working around horses), EN 1150 for non-professional use (leisure riders), and EN 13356 for accessories such as hatbands and gloves.
Does hi-viz worn by your horse need to meet a safety standard?
PPE (personal protective equipment) standards do not include items worn by the horse – they apply only to garments worn by riders. So, harnesses, tail bandages and exercise sheets do not carry safety standards.
Have you ever seen helicopters from Air Ambulances UK in action?
This life-saving service makes around 80 flights a day nationally and responding to 999 calls is a speedy business as crews take four to five minutes during daylight hours from receiving an alert to becoming airborne and on their way to a patient’s side. Around 68% of missions are to attend to trauma patients, while others are people suffering a medical emergency.
Do you know what to do when an air ambulance helicopter has been called to attend an incident?
- Always make yourself visible so that the crew can spot you from the air, and reach you quicker and more easily.
- Make sure that there is no FOD – foreign object debris – in the area as this can be dangerous for the critical care teams and aircraft.
- The pilot will land where he thinks is best – and safest. Please do not try to interfere with this.
- Always avoid the rotor blades and do not approach the aircraft until these have stopped spinning.
