5 Dec 2025
The study found vets frequently under-reported injuries and were reluctant to take time off work.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
Dogs were more prevalent in vets’ most severe injuries
A veterinary group has set up a working group to reduce workplace injuries after a study revealed the extent of injuries suffered by staff in companion animal practice.
CVS Group said it will take the action after funding a University of Liverpool study into the prevalence and causes of workplace injuries.
The study consisted of a survey asking CVS UK’s companion animal clinical practice employees about injuries suffered at work; it follows a similar study of the group’s equine and mixed practices.
It found that 77.6% of all staff had received a work-related injury during their career in the veterinary industry.
Vet surgeons and vet nurses (93.6% and 92.8%, respectively) had the highest proportion, followed by animal care assistants, (75.4%), administrators (56.0%) and receptionists (37.0%).
More than half of vets (58.3%) and VNs (60.6%) had been injured in the last year.
Cats accounted for 50.3% and 43.9% of VN and vet injuries, respectively. They were also the most prevalent cause of severe injuries in VNs, while dogs were more prevalent in vets’ most severe injuries.
The most common occurrences of animal-related injuries came during clinical examinations, restraining the animal and during anaesthesia, induction or recovery.
Almost one in 10 (9.6%) of all injuries in the study were needlestick-related, while being struck by equipment or furniture was also among the most common non-animal injuries.
Between 16.3% and 23% of staff attended or were admitted to hospital for their most recent injury.
Despite more than a quarter of all roles feeling they needed more than seven days to recover from their most recent injury, fewer than 14% of them took more than a week off work.
More than 85% felt their injury was genuinely minor and did not require time off work; other responses for not taking time off included not wanting to let the team down, feeling they could continue working with a reduced workload, and a “just get on with it” attitude.
Less than half of vets (47.4%) reported their injuries.
Lead author John Tulloch said: “Our study calls for a shift toward a positive safety culture, built on open reporting, shared responsibility, and reflective learning.
“It highlights the need for targeted interventions in high-risk areas such as animal restraint, anaesthetic recovery, and sharps handling.
“Achieving this safety culture shift requires strong organisational leadership across the profession and a commitment to fostering a work environment where all staff feel they speak openly and take accountability for workplace safety.”
CVS’ director of clinical research, Imogen Schofield, said: “As a result of the research, CVS has set up a working group looking at how we can reduce the top causes of accidents and improve the under-reporting figure.
“We are also looking at how we can use information held within our practice management system to understand more fully rates of accident per consult numbers or numbers of needlestick injuries per injections given.”
