Fitness centres, gyms, yoga studios and other businesses that involve physical activity to improve the health of their clients are exposed to injury lawsuits. When you want to keep people healthy and fit, you also need to understand that there is always at least one bad client waiting for an opportunity. Therefore, having exercise professional insurance is extremely important for you.
In addition to exercise professional insurance, you can also take some other steps to minimise the risk of injury lawsuits.
Causes of injuries
The following are the most common causes of injuries in fitness centres:
- Poorly designed equipment or facilities
- Unqualified instructors
- Poor screening and assessment
- Poor supervision
You can take the following steps to prevent injuries and injury lawsuits.
Prevent Injuries
Fitness equipment manufacturers hire industrial engineers and consulting ergonomists to design pieces of fitness equipment that are safer to use. Modern machines come with “range-of-motion (ROM) limiter” to restrict extension that can cause shoulder and many other injuries.
Keep Body Stabilized
Hire qualified and trained instructors with significant experience in the industry. They can teach the right technique to maximize benefits and minimize injury risks. Poor technique can hurt your lower back and injure other parts of the body.
Dangerous Quirks
Make sure that the machine does not have any quirks that can cause serious injuries. Thoroughly check and analyze every single machine to ensure that it provides the best experience.
Flooring
Many injuries occur due to poor facility design. Wet flooring in both exercise and recreational areas can cause slips and falls. This can also lead to fractured bones. You can avoid this with intelligent installation of a surface. Strictly impose rules and restrictions such as no running. Have proper drainage in pool areas.
The injury rates are pretty high on aerobic dance floors. Suspended or padded floors are much safer options. Regularly check the condition of stairways.
Prepare to Pay More
Want to use quality fitness equipment and hire well-qualified and experienced instructors? You need to pay for this. Cheap machines are often faulty and unsafe. Similarly, poorly qualified instructors with a lack of experience are not aware of the right techniques.
Constant Vigilance
Don’t leave members on their own, especially the new ones. Inadequate supervision is also one of the major causes of injuries in the gym.
Too Much Too Soon
Many gyms make promises like the client will lose a certain number of pounds within a certain number of days. It is important to push your clients to work hard. However, doing too can be dangerous.
