If you own a gym, yoga studio, or other type of fitness facility, you have to accept that fact that something is going to go wrong at some point. Preparation is key. Something is going to break, weather is going to disrupt your service, and someone is going to get hurt. We tell gym owners all of the time, things you do now can save your business when something does go wrong.
Factual Scenario
You own a gym that is up and running. It doesn’t matter what kind of gym or fitness facility it is. But, something happens and a client or member gets hurt. You get a little panicky and call your insurance company the following day. Your insurance company starts asking you all kinds of questions. They want details and you realize you can’t remember them all. “I don’t know” and “I don’t remember” starts coming out of your mouth for every other question. Everything was just happening so fast. What time did it happen? What did you or your trainer do immediately after the accident? Did someone try to move the injured member? Was a mess cleaned up?
The Devil is in the Details
These are all really important details not only for an insurance company to determine coverage, but also for an attorney who is ultimately going to defend the personal injury claim against your business.
The need to preserve these details is why a formal incident report is necessary. Your memory of what happened will be shaking and will fade the further you get from the time of the accident. The same is true for the employee who was on duty at that time while you were in the office doing other work and didn’t even see the accident take place.
Formal means Thorough
A formal written report doesn’t need to be fancy. It essentially needs to answer who, what, when, where, why, and how with as much detail as possible. You will also need a Standard Operating Procedure that requires the on-duty employee to fill this out as soon as possible after the accident took place. Additionally, any other employee witnesses who were there at the time, or came in to help afterwards, need to fill out a report asap. If you have a trusted member, or members, who witnessed the accident, ask them to fill out a report as soon as you can.
Documentation can save your business in the long run. As a gym owner, I’ve been in situations like this and I saved my business by having everything documented. Reach to us today if you need help creating an incident report or would like us to review yours to make sure you are protected.
