Call for health and safety protections to apply to athletes as they do to other workers
Stevie Ward former Leeds Rhinos captain retired at the age of 27 due to concussion
A DCMS report says health and safety protections from the state should apply “as much to footballers and jockeys as they do to miners and construction workers”.
The government must address its “long term failure” to reduce the risk of brain injuries in sport, according to a report.
The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee called for the government to introduce a UK-wide minimum concussion protocol by July next year.
The committee’s report also said the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) should be more closely involved in sport as, currently, there is an absence of employer responsibility towards athletes.
Julia Knight MP, who chaired the committee, said: “We’ve been shocked by evidence from athletes who suffered head trauma, putting their future health on the line in the interests of achieving sporting success for the UK.
“What is astounding is that when it comes to reducing the risks of brain injury, sport has been allowed to mark its own homework.”
The report said health and safety protections from the state should apply “as much to footballers and jockeys as they do to miners and construction workers”.
However, it argued that one of the biggest problems is uncertainty over who is responsible for driving change.