CORNWALL, Ont. -- Curlers who suffer suspected head injuries at Curling Canada events will be subject to a return-to-play protocol starting next season.

A new set of guidelines surrounding head injuries and protection has also been recommended for adoption by Canadian curling centres, Curling Canada said Friday in a release. The concussion protocol will be mandatory for all athletes attending events operated by the sport's national governing body.

"With so much more attention being paid to the issue of head injuries, it was time that Curling Canada took a proactive approach before something along these lines happened at one of our events," said Curling Canada board of governors chairman Hugh Avery. "Protecting our athletes is vitally important, and we all know the ice can be very unforgiving so I'm happy to see that we have this protocol in place going forward."

Head injuries are rare at curling's elite level. But Brad Gushue's scary fall at the Masters last October moved the issue into the spotlight.

The skip from St. John's, N.L., needed seven stitches to close a gash above his right eye after he lost his balance and landed head first on the ice in Truro, N.S. Gushue went down in the fourth end, got stitched up at a nearby hospital, and returned in the seventh end to finish the game.

He said he experienced concussion-like symptoms afterwards and spent a week resting at home before receiving clearance from doctors to travel to his next competition.

The Masters is part of the Grand Slam of Curling series on the World Curling Tour. It wasn't immediately clear whether the new protocol would be used at Slam events, which are owned and operated by Sportsnet.

A message left with a Sportsnet spokesperson was not immediately returned.

The Tim Hortons Brier, Scotties Tournament of Hearts and Home Hardware Canada Cup are some of the events on the Curling Canada calendar.

Under the new protocol, when an athlete suffers a suspected injury they will be required to be examined by a physician and undergo tests to determine whether a concussion has occurred.

If no concussion is diagnosed, the athlete can return to the game. Otherwise, the athlete will be required to undergo and pass a five-step testing process, each requiring a minimum 24 hours, before being cleared to return to play by a physician.

"We appreciate Curling Canada's efforts in making sure the curlers' health and well-being over the long haul is protected as best as possible," said World Curling Players Association president Jon Mead. "Obviously this would only be utilized in extreme circumstances, but it's important that the protocol is in place to avoid what could be a tragedy if not treated correctly."

Curling Canada, which is holding its national congress this week, is also recommending that the guidelines covering head injuries and protection be adopted by provincial and territorial sport organizations.