Total Coverage for Gyms and Fitness Studios
Health and wellness industries are in a boom like never before, and as an athletic club owner, you see the potential in bringing quality services to the community. Promoting good health also has its own hazards, but with our comprehensive commercial insurance policies, you can rest easy knowing your drive for a healthier community can keep going no matter what.
Insurance for athletic clubs can be diverse depending on your services. Some of the essential coverages specific to athletic clubs are:
- General Liability
- Professional Liability
- Employment Practices Liability
- Equipment Breakdown
- Business Personal Property
- Tenant Improvements and Betterments
Protection for Negligent Acts by Athletic Clubs
Gyms and fitness studios have a range of services to keep people healthy. Most athletic clubs focus primarily on physical fitness with equipment and training, but some have expanded services such as swimming pools, massage therapy, and even childcare. There is a great deal of risk in any one of these departments when it comes to the possibility of someone getting hurt. Carrying the right Liability Insurance is critical in keeping your operations running smoothly in the event of negligence by you, your staff, or the company as a whole.
General Liability is a must-have in most industries, especially ones with a high level of unsupervised public interaction. Gyms allow for members to come in as they please and use equipment on their own. This risk is even greater for 24-hour fitness centers, who have a lot of hours with minimal staffing. General Liability covers damage or injury sustained by customers during the course of normal operations. This coverage is far-reaching and most often covers things like slip-and-falls, unsafe equipment, and other physical hazards. It is important to make sure your facility is operating with policies and procedures in place to prevent these issues as much as possible, but when they do occur, you'll have the right protection to resolve them without risking going out of business.
Professional Liability is critical for any business with specially trained personnel. Gyms often feature personal trainers, nutrition coaches, swim instructors, and group fitness staff that provide consultations and advice to members. If a member becomes hurt or negatively affected by something your staff have advised, this could have serious repercussions. Professional Liability provides legal support and coverage for expenses related to the claim, including medical costs for the injured member. This is an essential coverage to keep your staff and brand properly protected.
Employment Practices Liability is important for businesses with staff. While you always hope to provide a safe and welcoming workplace to all your employees, problems can still arise amongst staff or management. In the event of a workplace incident, Employment Practices Liability can offer legal representation and cover claims related to the violations of employee rights. This often covers real or perceived incidents of sexual harrasment in the workplace, discrimination against staff, and even wrongful termination. The goal is to mitigate these risks as much as possible with proper Human Resource management, but in the event something happens, you can rest easy knowing you have the coverage to take care of it.
Coverage for Athletic Club Property
Gyms are full of equipment designed to help people stay in shape. In addition to traditional equipment like free weights and yoga mats, our age of tech has introduced elaborate aerobic machines to the fitness industry. Many of the treadmills, stair steppers, and stationary bikes out there today come with cable hookups, fitness programming, and monitoring software to track all sorts of data. Having to repair or replace this next-level equipment in a covered loss could easily cost thousands of dollars, which many business owners may be unprepared to cover themselves. Business Personal Property coverage provides protection against physical losses to your equipment so you can easily fix it or replace it. You certainly don't want to dip into profits or savings, or worse, take out a small business loan to cover the costs after a claim.
Aside from the fitness equipment, athletic clubs also have a great deal of equipment just to operate. Heat pumps, air conditioners, or perhaps pool equipment such as pumps and filters all have a natural lifecycle and risk of mechanical failure. In the event essential equipment stops working due to wear and tear or a manufacturer dysfunction, you don't want to lose out on potential income because all or part of your facility has to close. Equipment Breakdown coverage fills this gap by covering any lost income and additional expenses incurred because of a mechanical failure. While it won't pay to replace the equipment itself, you can still have protection for the negative impacts this loss has on the rest of your business operations.
Many fitness centers require a huge amount of space to fit in everything the average consumer desires. Buying or constructing a building that can accommodate rows and rows of equipment may be out of the question based on your budget, so leasing a large commercial space is usually the next best option. With the right landlord, you can make the necessary changes to your space to build out the workout rooms and additional perks your members will love. If you make a physical change to a building you don't own, however, this is not going to be replaced by the building owner if the space is damaged or destroyed. Tenant Improvements and Betterments coverage is critical for any lessees that make changes to the physical space. In the event of a loss, you will have the right protection to rebuild the space based on the adjustments you personally made so that your investment is covered.
Not sure what coverage will be right for you? Our team of commercial insurance agents is ready to find the best insurance package for your gym, athletic club, or fitness studio. Contact us today to learn more.