No matter how much insurance coverage you buy for your fitness facility, an accident on site can cost you a fortune, whether it is settled or goes to court. Besides the direct costs in terms of out-of-pocket payouts and increased premiums, safety issues can tarnish your business reputation and hurt your bottom line.
It is not enough to have your safety procedures clearly outlined in a staff manual, kept at the front desk. Most employees will only see it during their initial training, if at all. By holding regular safety meetings, or at least including a segment on safety issues at monthly staff meetings, you can keep your staff cognizant of potential issues, and remind them of their roles in keeping your facility a safe place to exercise.
Topics for your monthly safety meetings might include:
- Incidents, accidents and injuries: Cover any recent incidents or injuries, regardless of how minor, and brainstorm about what can be done in the future to avoid a recurrence. Discuss any changes that have already been made, and update the staff on any policy or procedural changes.
- Safety inspection results: Review results from recent safety inspections, and discuss any identified hazards, and what is being done about them. Encourage staff members to report potential hazards or unsafe conditions, and assign tasks to control them.
- Training: Discuss any new safety procedures that have been implemented. Review the correct operation of new equipment, including how to adjust it for individual users, and any special instruction for safe use from the manufacturer. Review basic emergency response protocols, and present a safety topic of the month.
- Open forum: Encourage staff to share any safety concerns they have, and ask for suggested solutions.
Training Smarter with W.I.T.S.
Many fitness education companies equip you with just enough knowledge to obtain a certification, then leave you hanging. At W.I.T.S., we know that certification is only the first step in what will hopefully become a gratifying life-long fitness career. That’s why we offer continuing education on topics that directly impact your bottom line. Check out our Online Business Management Success series to gain insight into running a facility and making it prosper. Keep up to date with our informative monthly webinars, and keep your certification current with our continuing education bundles.