WHO NEEDS PERSONAL TRAINER LIABILITY INSURANCE?
The short answer? Every personal trainer. If you train clients in any capacity, you are at risk of an injury-related lawsuit. As such, you need personal trainer insurance. No matter how safe you make your workplace, and regardless of how much care you take to prevent accidents, there’s no way to completely avoid the potential for injury or property damage while on the job. As long as this possibility is present, you are at risk. As long as you’re at risk, you need to be insured. Think about this example:You’re working with a client at your gym or studio, and they trip and fall over a jump rope that they’d used earlier, and they break an ankle. Did you know that this can be grounds for a lawsuit?
Alternatively, something like this could happen:You make a home visit to a client, and during the course of your workout, a piece of equipment knocks a painting off of the wall. Again, this is something for which you can be held liable.
The following are questions you need to ask about your current situation, and the steps you can take to make sure you’re protected in the event an accident occurs.1. Am I Covered Already?
Every personal trainer needs to be mindful of the potential liability they face. Depending on your current situation, coverage may or may not already be in place. Some things to consider: Does my gym cover me?It’s not uncommon for personal trainers working in a gym to have some sort of coverage in place. Note that coverage provided by your gym may not extend outside of the gym, so if you conduct home visits not authorized by the gym, you could then be at risk.
Does my gym’s coverage protect me?If you aren’t sure if the gym you work for covers you, or what the limits of that coverage are, ask. Not all plans are created equal—you need to make sure that you’re protected in case something goes wrong.
2. In Which Ways Does Personal Trainer Insurance Protect Me?
Personal trainer insurance functions primarily to protect you from liability should the following occur: InjuryIf a client gets injured as a result of your services, you can be held liable. This can include damages in a lawsuit and the cost of medical services.
IllnessIf your services cause or aggravate an illness in a client, you may be held liable here as well.
DamagesWhile working with clients, and especially while working with them in their homes or while renting gym space, you run the risk of damaging their property, or the property of others. If this happens, you may be held liable for the cost of the damaged items.