UK: New Helmet Rules for 2020

 New helmet rules for 2020

On Monday 24 August, the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) made the following announcement regarding their new helmet rules for 2020: 

 

Since 1 January 2018, it has been necessary to wear ‘type approved’ helmets. This meant that the helmets had to be CE marked to an approved standard (eg PAS015). An additional quality control mark (QC) such as the BSI Kitemark was not required at the time. However, the QC mark provides additional assurances of quality and consistency in manufacture (via random auditing and testing), so in October 2019 (in line with other equestrian disciplines)  the HPA made the decision to require a QC mark in all polo helmets from 1st April 2021. 

Due to the unprecedented circumstances during the Covid-19 pandemic, the HPA has made the following alterations to this directive:

1) Any HPA member buying a new helmet after 1st April 2021 must ensure it has a QC mark.

2) Any HPA member who already owns a helmet that does NOT have a QC mark may use it until 1st April 2024. 

This also reduces our environmental impact as the helmets will not be discarded prematurely before they would naturally begin to degrade. Manufacturers state that helmets should be replaced every 3-5 years as the materials within become less effective over time. 

The HPA would also like to take this opportunity to remind employers within polo that they have a legal obligation to ensure that their staff wear appropriate CE marked PPE (ie a certified helmet) when riding.