Scrapes and injuries: how to avoid them in your gym

Sports injuries can occur in almost any environment – but the safer the space, the bigger the surprise. You could be in a cotton-lined children’s soft play area and still crack a bone.

But for the budding gymnasium owner, a client injuring themselves on a piece of equipment could be the death knell of their business. And while you can try to make your gym as safe as possible, some wannabe workout king will find a way to make a spectacle of themselves on your gym equipment.

According to the University of Arkansas, there has been a 35 per cent increase in gym injuries in recent years. This is in part thanks to the increased popularity of the facilities – 12.6 per cent of the UK population have private gym memberships – but the fault will always lie at the feet of the owner.

This is especially true when a member of staff is the victim of an injury. Despite full safety experience and training, these pros can still suffer an injury in your gym – and they might not be too happy about it.

An injury at work claim is the most likely recourse of a disgruntled employee nursing a nasty sports injury – and it’s a prospect that a manager will have to do their best to avoid.

Government statistics state that 1.2 million people suffer from workplace related illnesses every year, whether they be serious injuries or minor colds.

When a factory suffers a claim, the effects can be dire but not irreparable. When a gym, on the other hand, sees a serious injury from one of its machines, it could start losing business. After all, who wants to do cardio in a well-known death trap?

So unless you only want thrill seekers visiting your gym, you’re going to need a few tips to avoid injuries on your premises. So what can you do?

Refresh your worker’s memory

Not every employee has the time to stay fresh on the ins and outs of fitness regimes and new-fangled diets. They’ve got people to train, bodies to keep limber and clients to keep smiling.

But without constant refreshment of the memory, some trainers might become lax when it comes to safety. What’s worse, their fitness regimes might start to look as fashionable as a granddad attempting to listen to dubstep.

This is where the internet comes into its element. Fully-accredited fitness courses are available online to train anyone, whether they’re a weedy amateur or a muscular beefcake.

More than this, they’ll show students how to find the right diet and fitness strategies that won’t cause major injuries. With regular refresher courses like these your gym instructors will be constantly vigilant of situations that put them or their clients in danger.

Call the pros

You can scour your gym for potential hazards – but only a fresh pair of eyes will really find the types of dangers likely to trip up your profits.

Call up an injury claims specialist to survey your exercise machines and general premises. They’ll be able to tell you where you need to improve, how much these improvements will cost and their likely impact on your gym’s performance.

With professional eyes surveying your gym, the likelihood of injuries will decrease.

Regular updates

Workout equipment falls out of fashion as quickly as new trends in clothing. But an outmoded machine can do worse than look a bit duff – it could injure your clients and employees.

Update your machines regularly, whether that means modifying, repairing or replacing them entirely. With new equipment, you’ll be guaranteed to avoid any sporting injuries.

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