Why safety isn't just compliance — it's leadership, retention, and better medicine
Safety in equine practice is one of those topics everyone knows matters — but too often, it only gets attention after something goes wrong.
In a recent episode of American Association of Equine Practitioners Practice Life Podcast, Mark Harrison and Dominique Gruber from Certified Safety Training joined hosts Dr. Jessica Dunbar and Dr. Travis Boston to talk about what safety really looks like in day-to-day veterinary work — and where practices are getting it wrong.
This isn't about checking boxes. It's about protecting your team, your business, and your longevity in this profession.
Meet the Guests
Mark Harrison leads Certified Safety Training, a company focused on workplace safety and OSHA compliance. With 30 years in the industry, he helped evolve the business from onsite, clipboard-based audits to scalable online training platforms. Today, CST provides training, custom safety manuals, and compliance support — including safety data sheets, GHS labeling, and controlled substance tracking.
Dominique Gruber is a certified veterinary technician with over 20 years of experience in the industry, including a decade as a practice co-owner. Her background in both clinical work and ownership gives her a practical understanding of the challenges veterinarians face, guiding her work today in helping practices build safer, more effective teams.
What CST Actually Does
Here's what the process looks like: practices find our services through our website or their local VMA. They fill out a questionnaire that acts as a facility audit, generating a safety score and providing enough information for the team to customize a printed safety manual that's shipped directly to the practice.
All record keeping — safety data sheets, GHS labels, controlled drugs and substances — is monitored and managed.
Training modules are available through an app, accessible on a phone, and the platform allows practice managers to track where each employee stands with their training.
The service is unlimited use — it doesn't matter whether a practice has five employees or fifty. The focus is on safety and compliance regardless of practice size.
The Top Safety Gaps in Equine Practice
Across equine practices, the same safety gaps show up again and again — and most are preventable.
1. Lack of Structured Training
Many teams rely on assumptions about their team's equine handling experience — someone grew up around horses or has worked in a barn before. But veterinary environments are different; horses are stressed, procedures are invasive, and the risk is higher. Without clear protocols, even experienced handlers are vulnerable.
What helps:
- Standardized onboarding for all staff including students and seasonal hires
- Regular refreshers on horse handling and restraint
- Clear PPE expectations
2. Ergonomic Injuries (The Silent Career Killer)
Not every injury is dramatic. The most common issues are repetitive strain, back and shoulder injuries, and fatigue from poor positioning. These build slowly, are often ignored, and can end careers early.
Travis shared his own perspective as someone who's been in practice long enough to feel the effects: "I watch the younger vets dip and bob and weave and do their dentals at my waist height and I think, 'I can't do that.' It's hard to know your own mortality when you're younger."
Dominique agreed: "Make the changes before the changes make you. When you're in your early twenties, it's amazing what you can do, but your body will break down surprisingly fast. Mid-thirties — I'm feeling it."
What to focus on:
- Proper positioning during procedures
- Using stocks, sedation, and restraint tools instead of "muscling through"
- Avoiding repetitive strain and rotating tasks when possible
3. Situational Awareness
Equine environments are dynamic and unpredictable. Safety isn't just about the horse in front of you — it's about everything happening around you.
Key habits:
- Maintain clear escape routes at all times
- Stay aware of other horses, people, and movement
- Don't let familiarity create complacency
Field vs. Clinic: Different Risks, Same Responsibility
While the risks may look different, the responsibility to manage them is the same.
In the Field
Hazards extend beyond the animal. Driving (often distracted), unfamiliar environments, and working alone all increase risk. Simple systems can make a major difference.
Critical protocols:
- Check-in/check-out systems for solo workers
- Reliable vehicles and maintained equipment
- Clear communication plans before arriving on site
- Minimizing distracted driving
As Dominique states: "One of the biggest risks isn't the animal, it's getting to the farm."
In the Clinic
You gain control, but complexity increases. More horses, more people, and more advanced procedures create new challenges.
Best practices:
- Have trained staff (not clients) handle horses
- Set clear boundaries with owners
- Control traffic flow and maintain safe work zones
- Avoid routine shortcuts (e.g., improper footwear, skipped PPE)
Safety Is Leadership — And It Drives Business Outcomes
Safety is ultimately a leadership issue. Your team will take safety as seriously as you do.
That means:
- Wearing PPE — even when it's inconvenient
- Slowing down when needed
- Saying no to unsafe situations
- Knowing when to walk away
In equine medicine, there's constant pressure to "get it done." But sometimes the safest (and most professional) decision is to sedate, reschedule, move the case to the clinic, or stop entirely.
Mark stated an OSHA concept worth noting: the idea of a competent person — someone on the team who is qualified to assess whether a situation is safe and empowered to stop the work if it isn't. "Sometimes the heroic thing isn't powering through; it's walking away and coming back to the situation at another time."
Beyond protecting people, safety directly impacts the business.
What improves when safety improves:
- Staff retention: Injured or burned-out employees leave
- Reputation: Clients and staff notice a controlled, professional environment
- Insurance costs: Fewer incidents improve leverage over time
- Recruitment: Students and externs are drawn to safer, more supportive practices
The Bus Driver Mentality
Travis wrapped up with an analogy he uses with students and staff: when you're a student, you're on the bus. You're watching, participating, and learning. But when you become the veterinarian, you're the bus driver.
You're not just driving the case — you're driving the environment. You're responsible for the owner, the patient, the technician, the sedation decisions, and the physical space where everything is happening.
That transition from bus passenger to bus driver is hard. But it's essential.
The Bottom Line
Safety in equine practice isn't about being overly cautious — it's about being intentional. Every case, every setting, and every decision is shaped by the person leading it.
The biggest opportunity lies in identifying where your team is "powering through" instead of working safely. That's where the risk is — and where meaningful change can begin.
Getting Started
If you're ready to take a more proactive approach to safety in your practice, Certified Safety Training can help. Check with your state VMA to see if they partner with Certified Safety Training for member discounts and services. Compliance is supposed to support your practice, not be a burden — and with the right partner, it doesn't have to be.
As Dominique put it: "Safety compliance is supposed to help support your practice, not be a burden — and we can help take that burden off your plate."
