As people become more health conscious, gyms and fitness centres are growing in popularity, with almost 4.5 million adults signed up to a gym or health club in the UK alone.

All gyms and leisure centres are obliged by law to ensure that any members, visitors or members of staff using their facilities are safe properly trained and are using equipment that is maintained to high levels of safety. Most accidents in leisure centres occur because of substandard equipment or hazardous conditions around the gym, which can usually be easily avoided.

The start of the year is always a struggle, with everyone trying to lose the Christmas weight gain and stick to their new year’s resolutions of getting fit and eating right. While the gym is a great way to lose weight and increase fitness, there are people who find that visiting the gym was a danger to their health, not realising the risk of serious injury involved when using the equipment or facilities incorrectly.

Inductions

You should be given an induction when you sign up to use a new gym, to make sure you understand the risks of different machinery, how to use them properly and to give you a good understanding of the health and safety procedures in place.

Medical

You should be handed a medical questionnaire to fill out before you participate in any fitness classes or use the equipment, to let the staff know of any medical conditions or ongoing injury that may affect your safety when working out on the gym. They can then advise you on any equipment that may not be suitable for you, or any activities you should avoid.

Insurance

Like most organisations, gyms should be insured for most scenarios, such as fire damage, burglary or serious personal injury. Although expensive, insurance can be taken out to cover personal injuries sustained by members using the facilities or equipment.

First Aid

Ideally, every member of staff at the gym would be first aid trained, but there usually needs to be enough first aid trained staff to accommodate the number of members. They should also be trained up in general health and fitness, so they can stop you if they spot you performing an exercise or lift in a way that might injure you. Worryingly, many gyms and health clubs don’t require any kind of formal qualification for their fitness instructors, so those teaching about fitness may be no more qualified than yourself.

What you can do

Getting a workout partner is an excellent way to have someone around who can spot you during weightlifting, or to check you’re carrying out exercises properly, and vice versa. Where possible, avoid working out alone or where no one can see you, as if an accident did occur you may struggle to get medical attention. Report any health and safety issues if you see them to help ensure the safety of others around you as well as your own.

Many gym bunnies have found themselves with long term problems after getting injured at fitness centres, sometimes through no fault of their own. One example of this was during a pole dancing fitness session, where a woman fell off the pole during an upside down manoeuvre and injured her shoulder. She decided to put in a personal injury claim and sue the gym for a large amount of money, which serves as a warning for other gyms to make sure members and staff are properly trained and briefed before starting exercise.

Another example of this was when a gym member tried to turn down the speed on a faulty treadmill, which resulted in the machine going too fast and tripping him over. The position of the equipment between the wall and other machinery meant he tripped, fell onto his face and injured his leg, resulting in long term complications and some expensive dental work.

These dramatic accidents are rare, but when they do happen they can have lasting consequences for everyone involved. Simply slipping on wet surfaces or tripping a dumbbell can result in severe injury or expensive legal action, which could be avoided by following simple health and safety procedures required in any company.