THE SAFETY CHECK FOR FITNESS CENTRES

Author:

Y. van Noort

Date:

20 April 1998

NIA TNO Safety check:

37221.1463/noo

THE SAFETY CHECK FOR FITNESS CENTRES

(Inside cover)

General information

Name of the enterprise:

Address:

Telephone: Fax:

Completed by:

(Name(s) and position(s))

Were the employees consulted?

Date of completion:

Checked by the Arbodienst (Safety, Health and Welfare Service):

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Safe and healthy working conditions......................................................

2. How to use the Safety Check...........................................................................

3. Activities in your fitness centre..................................................................

4. Overview of the staff and their duties.....................................................

Reception...................................................................................................................... 9

Bar/cafe/kitchen/meeting area......................................................................................

Aerobics.....................................................................................................................

Weight-training room...................................................................................................

Building.......................................................................................................................

General safety and health conditions.............................................................................

5. Action plan.............................................................................................................

1 Safe and healthy working conditions

Working in fitness centres involves hazards. Unsafe and unhealthy working conditions can lead to employees being too ill to work or to accidents in your enterprise.

Fitness centres are prone to the following hazards:

– physical stress: the work is strenuous, particularly for aerobics instructors and even more so when lessons are intensive;

– interrupted “broken” working days with varying working hours and many part-time contracts are not conducive to proper rest and motivation for employees;

– noise: the loud music during aerobics lessons is stressful for the instructors and can also be a nuisance for other people working in the centre;

– mental stress; looking after many different customers and ensuring that they do not get injured is very demanding.

Good working conditions and a pleasant atmosphere at work increase employees’ commitment to the job.

Identifying and assessing the risks (risk assessment) ensures that you know where the threats to your employees’ safety, health and well-being lie in your enterprise and what you need to do about them. For this reason the Arbowet (Occupational Safety and Health Act) stipulates that, from 1 January 1994, all enterprises must carry out a risk assessment as an initial step towards establishing good working conditions.

The Safety Check has been specially developed for fitness centres employing between 10 and 15 people. The assessment is geared to all weight-training and aerobics activities. If you also offer other facilities, such as a swimming pool or a snack-bar, you must also list the major risks to safety, health and well-being they entail. For more information on the specific risks of such facilities please contact NIA TNO (whose address is given at the end of this booklet) or your Arbodienst.

By completing this list you are taking the first step towards improving working conditions and are complying with your legal obligation to identify and assess the risks. Once you have done so, you determine which are the most serious risks in your enterprise. You then set out in the action plan your priorities and the precautions which you intend to take in order to eliminate the risk or reduce it (refer to the final pages of the booklet).

If you are not sure whether you can assess specific subsections yourself, call in an expert from, for example, the Arbodienst.

You must then submit the risk assessment to the Arbodienst for checking. It will check that you have not overlooked any major hazards and can advise you on your plans to eliminate the risks you have identified.

Briefly, the aim of the risk assessment is for you to examine:

– what hazards there are in your enterprise;

– how serious they are, whose health can be damaged and how;

– whether you have taken sufficient precautions to minimise the risk;

– what priorities you have set in your action plan (what you intend to tackle first).

In the event of illness or accidents....

When employees become ill it is important to find out whether (part of) the cause may be their work. Providing support for members of your staff who are ill is part of your enterprise’s personnel policy. If you give them proper support you can help them to recover and return to work more quickly. This means that you should contact them regularly, find out whether conditions at work account for their absence through illness and consider whether, if necessary, you can make any changes to ensure that a person can come back to work in the enterprise. Consult your staff on improvements which can be made. Your staff will know where they stand if the arrangements for sick notes and reporting back to work are clear. You should therefore come to an agreement on how and to whom illness and recovery should be reported and consult the Arbodienst on your plan to reduce absences through illness in your enterprise.

Accidents

Write out instructions (who does what and how) for notifying, registering and reporting industrial accidents or near-accidents. You must report the following to the Labour Inspectorate:

– fatal accidents;

– accidents involving serious injury;

– incidents causing major property damage (HFL 100 000 or more);

– occupational illnesses;

– anything which causes a health hazard.

You must keep records of:

– fatal accidents;

– accidents involving serious physical injury;

– any other accidents involving time off work;

– events involving major property damage and endangering employees’ safety and health.

Information

if employees are to maintain high standards of safety and reliability, they need to know what risks are involved. It is accordingly important for each employer to provide information on:

– the risks to safety, health and well-being which may occur in the enterprise;

– the correct way to work in order to prevent any risk of accidents or at least to keep the risk to a minimum;

– equipment and aids which employees must use at work (proper sports shoes, foot rests for people using PCs, etc.;

– which people are especially at risk and therefore require particular attention or special information.

2. How to use the Safety Check

A Fill in the list in step by step. You can do this all at once but do not have to. Cast a critical eye - in terms of safety and health - over each area of your enterprise. It will take you approximately one and a half hours to fill in the list.

B Involve your staff in completing the risk assessment; they know a lot about the risks and, moreover, will soon have to (help) implement the measures.

For each activity or workplace you can determine

1.	whether the risk mentioned exists in your enterprise;
2.	what measures you are going to take to eliminate or reduce the risk

You can add information on the dotted lines. If you see any potentially hazardous situations in your enterprise which are not in the Safety Check, you can enter them yourself. You can also make a note of ways you have solved problems in your enterprise.

C Discuss the completed list with your staff. Ask them whether additions need to be made, for example, with regard to the atmosphere at work, the need for information, the work rate or work breaks. And determine whether there are other activities in your enterprise which are not in the Safety Check.

D In the action plan specify what measures you are going to take and when you intend to have made the improvement by. Not everything has to be improved at once. What is important, is to make a start.

As soon as you have carried out the risk assessment you will have a clear picture of the working conditions in your enterprise and the areas which need attention in order to optimise them. The action plan provides a good overview of what you are going to do to improve the working conditions in your fitness centre.

2.1. Repeat the risk assessment

– When major changes are made in your enterprise, e.g. new machinery is purchased or major conversion work is carried out;

– After accidents or near-accidents in order to prevent these happening again in the future;

– Regularly, e.g. once every four years;

– If there are staff changes (if, for example, you recruit new employees or employees become pregnant).

3. Activities in your fitness centre

Determine what activities feature in your enterprise and what activities are carried out by others (sub-contractors and freelances etc.).

Facility	Operated by the owner	Sublet
Weight-training room
Aerobics
Cardiovascular fitness activities
Test area
Sauna
Solarium
Manicure studio
Shop
Hairdresser
Beauty parlour
Swimming pool
Climbing wall
Squash courts
Massage centre
Skating lessons
Powerwalking
Crèche
Physiotherapy
Dietician
Others:

Whenever several employers (sub-contractors or freelance workers) work in the same building, agreements must be made to map out the risks. You are free to decide how to do this as long as it is put down in writing. Each employer is responsible for assessing the risks for his own enterprise but some aspects of safety and health offer ideal opportunities for cooperation. With regard to assistance in the event of a fire or evacuation, etc., in particular, the key thing is to decide who does what.

4. Overview of the staff and their duties

Job	Special features^*	Working hours	Main duties	Other duties
Receptionist	Back complaints	Full-time	Reception of customers Answering the telephone Providing information	Cleaning	Enrolment forms: keep a stock and make copies as necessary

Reception

Safety and health check list

Measures and advice

Action taken

Action still to be taken

Physical stress

Chair

Desk

VDU

Provide a good chair (e.g. tested in accordance with NEN 1812), a good desk (e.g. tested in accordance with NEN 2449) and a good adjustable PC (NEN-ISO 9241-3).

Encourage staff to adjust these items properly. See Figure 1 (illustration from the Arbojaarboek (Safety and Health Yearbook)?)

Place the PC as far away from the window as possible at right angles to the wall where the window is located. The window may not be in front of or behind the employee.

To avoid reflections, select light fittings which ensure that the lamps do not cast any light sideways (no unscreened neon lights).

Ensure that employees can do some other work once they have spent more than two hours consecutively working on screen. If no other work is available, they must take a break.

As far as possible, let employees plan and carry out their duties themselves, such as enrolling people, providing information, managing data and answering the telephone.

Spending hours working on screen can be physically stressful. Ensure that the unit is properly adjusted and sufficient breaks are taken or other work is done.

Reception

Safety and health check list	Measures and advice	Action taken	Action still to be taken
Ability Do the employees have the ability to cope with their jobs?	Provide employees with proper training and support in dealing with customers. Remaining flexible, friendly and polite even when it is busy, listening to what customers want and working at peak times, processing information correctly and working with other people is all very demanding and sometimes puts pressure on employees. Ensure that employees have the ability to cope with their duties This can mean giving somebody more or fewer responsibilities or considering extending or limiting the range of duties.
Non-standard working hours Broken working hours	Produce weekly or monthly plans showing when non-standard hours have to be worked. Announce duty rosters and working hours as early as possible. Consult employees regularly on the hours they wish to work. Distribute work so that broken working hours arise as little as possible. You can probably combine various tasks (such as instructing and working on reception) so that employees are occupied throughout the day or week.
Noise	If you have to raise your voice to talk to somebody less than a metre away, the noise level must be measured. Have this done by an expert. Sound-insulate the reception area as far as possible. You can also set a maximum noise level for music. It may be enough to put a mark on the controls.

Bar/cafe/kitchen/meeting area

Safety and health check list	Measures and advice	Action taken	Action still to be taken
Physical stress Transport and storage of goods Bending Lifting with the back twisted	Wherever possible, transport heavy goods (crates of bottles, etc.) with a trolley. Ensure that the storage area for beer and other barrels is easily accessible. Ensure that the bar/kitchen is not too far away from the storage area. Place kitchen equipment at working height using a pedestal. Make sure there is a wide enough walkway behind the bar. Wherever possible, place frequently used items within easy reach.
Safety	Do you serve draft beer? To avoid any possible accumulation of leaked gas in the area where the bottles of carbon dioxide are stored, ensure that this area is well ventilated.
Work content Can employees prepare and organise as well as carry out various tasks? Are employees’duties in keeping with their abilities?	Ensure that employees have varied duties. Hold consultations about work regularly and make regular assessments. Allow employees to work independently as far as possible. Ensure that employees’ tasks match their abilities

Bar/cafe/kitchen/meeting area

Safety and health check list	Measures and advice	Action taken	Action still to be taken
Non-standard working hours Broken working hours	Produce weekly or monthly plans showing when non-standard hours have to be worked. Announce duty rosters and working hours as early as possible. Consult employees regularly on the hours they wish to work. Distribute work so that broken working hours arise as little as possible. You can probably combine various tasks (such as instructing and working on reception) so that employees are occupied throughout the day or week.
Other legislation	The equipment in the meeting area and ancillary areas must conform with the local fire regulations and any specific legislation such as the Drank- en Horecawet (Alcoholic Beverages and Food and Catering Act).
Noise Can you talk to somebody who is less than a metre away without raising your voice?	If you have to raise your voice to talk to somebody less than a metre away, the noise level must be measured. Have this done by an expert. Areas where loud music is played must be insulated as far as possible. A maximum noise level can also be set. Agree a maximum volume for the amplifiers.

Aerobics

Safety and health check list	Measures and advice	Action taken	Action still to be taken
Physical stress Intensive stress	Provide a good floor (sprung, with a minimum area of 2.5 m² per participant) and a wall of mirrors. Install a film screen showing exercises in order to relieve the instructor and give him or her an opportunity to correct the participants. Ask instructors regularly if they have any physical complaints and, when holding these discussions, focus attention on working conditions and ways of improving them..
Safety Equipment: slides, dynabands, steps, weights, skipping ropes, tubes etc..	Arrange for regular inspections of equipment to ensure that it is still safe and well maintained. Replace it if necessary. Provide proper storage facilities and ensure that equipment is put away properly.
Work content Can employees prepare and organise as well as carry out different tasks? Inadequate (paid) rest periods	Ensure that groups are not larger than 15 to 20 persons. Leave the content and structure of the lesson up to the instructor as far as possible. Teaching very intensive lessons is more difficult than light aerobics. Ensure that the duty roster contains enough rest periods. Five consecutive hours of teaching is too much for intensive lessons. After lessons there must be sufficient opportunity during working hours to rest and recover and to have something to eat and drink.

Aerobics

Safety and health check list

Measures and advice

Action taken

Action still to be taken

Non-standard working hours

Broken working hours

Produce weekly or monthly plans showing when non-standard hours have to be worked.

Announce duty rosters and working hours as early as possible.

Consult employees regularly on the hours they wish to work.

Distribute work so that broken working hours arise as little as possible.

You can probably combine various tasks (such as instructing and working on reception) so that employees are occupied throughout the day or week.

Noise

Virtually constant exposure to loud music.

Fit a volume governorto the sound system (just placing a mark on the controls at the maximum permitted value may help).

Encourage instructors to use headphones.

Avoid excessive noise from other areas.

Weight-training room

Safety and health check list	Measures and advice	Action taken	Action still to be taken
Physical stress Clearing away weights which customers have left lying around. Insufficient room for movement between the apparatus	Introduce rules for customers with regard to clearing away weights and objects which are lying around. Ensure that the storage areas are at a proper height to avoid any unnecessary bending or reaching. Do not place equipment too close together; people must be able to walk between the devices without bumping into them or a user. See the chapter on the building for recommendations with regard to the dimensions of the areas
Cooling down after a physical effort	Ensure that there is sufficient time for warming up and cooling down
Non-standard working hours Broken working hours	Introduce a degree of regularity to non-standard working hours, for example in the form of weekly or monthly plans. Consult employees regularly on the hours they wish to work. You can probably combine various tasks (such as teaching and working on reception) so that employees are occupied throughout the day or week.

Weight-training room

Safety and health check list

Measures and advice

Action taken

Action still to be taken

Safety

Protruding parts

Moving parts

Loose or hanging electrical wiring

As far as possible use equipment without any protruding parts.

Ensure that no contact with moving parts can be made

Place equipment with protrusions as far as possible from the main walkway between the equipment.

Cables must be covered.

Ensure that no cables or extension plugs are left lying on the ground.

Electrical equipment

Arrange equipment by type as far as possible

Building

Safety and health check list	Measures and advice	Action taken	Action still to be taken
Accessibility	Ensure that the entry and access road to the building can easily be reached to provide assistance (fire brigade, ambulances, etc.)
Ambient conditions indoors	The temperature should be adjustable so that it can be set at an appropriate level for the activities going on in the respective areas. Ensure that there is effective ventilation, i.e. both extraction of air and a supply of fresh draught-free air. Install effective sunshades.
Escape routes and emergency exits.	Keep escape routes free from obstacles Ensure that, in addition to the general access door, there is an emergency exit which can be opened at any time during working hours. Keep this emergency exit free, on the outside, too! Sufficient fire extinguishers or other firefighting equipment must be available at various locations and must be inspected and maintained properly. Ensure that sufficient first-aid facilities are available (a complete first-aid kit). Put this in an easily accessible place (at the right height). Put the emergency services number (112) on all telephones. Display posters with simple and clear instructions on what to do if there is an accident or a fire.

Building

Safety and health check list

Measures and advice

Action taken

Action still to be taken

Dimensions of the various areas

Assuming that the groups number between 15 and 20 people, an area of approximately 200 m² is suitable for weight-training and approximately 100 m² for aerobics.

Rest area

Set aside an area for rest - if possible outside the working area - with sufficient ventilation, lighting and space.

Equip this with tables and chairs and keep it clean. Encourage hygiene at work.

Agree on rules on smoking in the rest area so that non-smokers are not bothered by tobacco smoke.

General safety and health conditions

Safety and health check list

Measures and advice

Action taken

Action still to be taken

Consultation at work

Give employees an opportunity to discuss working conditions with each other. Introduce regular consultations at work for this purpose. Bring up safety, health and well-being issues yourself. Employees often have good ideas for improvement.

Take any complaints of pain seriously and see whether it is work-related, especially headaches, backache, or pain in the hands, wrists, arms (elbows) and neck.

Aggression, violence and sexual harassment

Dealing with troublesome customers and colleagues

State what kinds of behaviour will not be tolerated.

Arrange for proper lighting and visibility in all areas so as to minimise the likelihood of aggressive situations or undesirable sexual behaviour occurring.

Ensure that employees with complaints about aggressive behaviour or sexual harassment (by customers or colleagues) can talk to somebody about them in confidence.

Introduce penalties for such behaviour.

You will find a summary of rules of conduct for sports teachers in the leaflet on sexual harassment drawn up by NOC*NSF and available from Fit!Vak.

The leaflet focuses on sports teachers’ dealings with sportsmen and women but also provides useful pointers on how to conduct these discussions with your employees and adapt them in the light of your own situation.

General safety and health conditions

Safety and health check list

Measures and advice

Action taken

Action still to be taken

Improving working conditions

The manager should set a good example and should draw employees’ attention to any unsafe or unhealthy conduct on their part.

One employee should be given extra time to keep abreast of developments on safety and health, through, for example, new publications and contact with the sector on safety and health matters.

Response to emergencies

Prepare an escape and evacuation plan. Decide where employees are to assemble after evacuation.

Carry out unannounced evacuation drills.

A person with proper emergency-response training must be on hand.

A diploma is not required but the person’s knowledge and information must meet certain requirements. Further details are available from the Arbodienst or from NIA TNO (address at the end of the booklet).

The person with emergency-response training has the following duties:

– first-aid in the event of accident;

– alerting employees in emergency situations and supervising their evacuation;

– notifying the fire brigade and other services.

Organise emergency response so that adequate assistance can be obtained at any time within a few minutes.

Make sure that a record of all customers present in the centre is kept at a central point in the building (reception).

^* Are part-time workers, trainees or beginners involved here? Some employees are slightly more at risk than others in a given area. Pregnant women, for example, may not lift heavy loads. Young employees who are just starting work may find it difficult to manage on their own at reception on busy evenings. All instructions and explanations must also be comprehensible for employees whose mother tongue is not Dutch.

In 1998, job descriptions will be available which can be used in this table. You can obtain more information from the Bond voor Werknemers in de Sport (Association of Employees in Sport) and from Fit!vak. The addresses are at the end of this booklet.

Area of risk and workplace	Action	Instructions to, and consultation with, employees	Obtain advice	To be implemented by ... on ...
Example: risk of impaired hearing for aerobics teachers	Inquire about types of headphones and the cost	Point out the dangers if no protection is used and monitor use	Ask suppliers and ask the Arbodienst about any alternative solutions	Robinson 1/3/98
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