The Swedish Work Environment Authority has notified the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten) in a letter that the ceremonial helmet used by the Life Guards (Livgardet) during mounted state ceremonial activities has safety deficiencies. The authority announces that they are considering imposing a ban on allowing the Life Guards' mounted band to use the ceremonial helmet while riding, according to a press release from the Swedish Armed Forces.

The letter follows the intervention of the safety representative for the band, Andreas Lundin, who brought the issue to the Defence Union (Försvarsförbundet). This action was taken in light of several incidents where the helmet fell to the ground and became deformed. The Defence Union then decided to escalate the matter to the Swedish Work Environment Authority, as previously reported by Defence Sector News here.

The commander of the Life Guards, Colonel Stefan Nacksten, in collaboration with the Defence Staff, has decided that the ceremonial helmet will not be used during mounted state ceremonial activities by any of the Life Guards' units from today onwards. In the Swedish Armed Forces' press release, he states:

- We will not conduct mounted guard parades or other mounted services with the existing ceremonial helmet now that this has been established, and a usage ban for riding is in effect until further notice. We are currently working to find an alternative solution as quickly as possible with a helmet that meets safety standards and can still be used in parades.

Does your organisation want to be featured with a news item or advertisement?

Click here for more information - Contact us!