Racing Queensland and the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission have adopted a mandatory 12-day stand-down period for Queensland harness drivers formally diagnosed with concussion.
Effective from April 8, QRIC stewards will stand a driver down from their remaining engagements if they are showing clinical signs of concussion after an initial assessment by onsite medical officers.
The driver will then be required to present to a medical practitioner for formal assessment and, if diagnosed with concussion, will be subject to a mandatory 12-day stand-down period.
Drivers are then required to obtain a certificate of medical clearance and meet QRIC requirements before being allowed to resume in the sulky.
The new protocol has been developed by RQ in collaboration with the QRIC, along with assistance from Medical Rescue, the provider of immediate medical care at Queensland harness meetings.
Whilst primarily for incidents that occur on raceday or at the trials, the protocol will also apply to any incident that may result in a concussion diagnosis, regardless of whether the driver has engagements on the day.
The introduction of this protocol follows the successful implementation of a similar stand-down period in the thoroughbred industry for jockeys and apprentices.
Click here to read the new concussion protocol procedure.