Slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accidents occur frequently at health and swim clubs because of excess water on floors, and weight equipment, gym bags, and other gear left where people can trip over them.
-To help prevent accidents, you can:
– Check bathroom floors, shower rooms, and pool areas regularly for excess water or other hazards, and clean up any hazards immediately.
– Use absorbent, non-skid mats at the base of water fountains to absorb excess moisture.
– Require swimmers to dry off in the pool area, so they don’t track water throughout your facility.
– Look for and remove tripping hazards, both inside and outside your facility.
– Require clients to store all gym bags in lockers. Remove unused towels and weight equipment and place them in appropriate storage racks. Ask staff members to patrol the floor frequently and remind clients of these requirements.
– Document your sweep and maintenance activities. Create a log that shows your schedule of sweep/maintenance activities and allows you to document who did the activity. Keep these records on file for at least one year, and store them with other long-term business records. This may seem tedious, but it can pay off when it’s time to prove your activities in court.
– Apply abrasive tape or paint on stairs in your club. Inspect handrails frequently and repair loose rails immediately.
– Make sure stairways, walkways, and parking lots are adequately illuminated.
– Inspect your parking lot and repair holes in the asphalt. If possible, paint concrete car stops with a highly visible color, like orange or yellow.
– Place absorbent mats with a non-slip backing at all entrances. Replace wet mats with dry ones as needed. Use “Caution” signs to warn of slippery conditions.
– When there’s ice and snow, clean up snow immediately and apply something to melt the ice hourly to walkways and parking lots to prevent re-freezing.
– Review your leasing agreements. Understand your responsibilities for cleaning and maintaining walkways, parking lots, and common areas around your club.
These are just a few suggestions to help keep your club in good standing when it comes to slip-and-fall accidents.
Michael Swain is the Senior Loss Control Specialist for Markel Insurance Company in Richmond, Virginia. Markel specializes in insurance for health, swim, and racquet clubs. He can be contacted at 866.734.4057, or visit www.markelfitness.com.
