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Posted By James Byatt
Afternoon All,
Been a LONG time since I've been an active member of this forum but hopefully that won't deter you from helping if you can.
I work for a student property management company and a number of our buildings have Gyms in them.
Up until recently these gyms have been managed & operated by a 3rd party contractor but due to cost (obviously £££ and not cost as in time, difficulty etc that you and I would consider)
a decision has been made to cut the contracts, TUPE the staff over and take on the duties & responsibilities in-house.
Not ideal in my opinion but hey, we can but make recommendations....hence my request for info, thoughts & guidance from you lot! Our HR Manager has asked the following:
Would it be possible to find out some factual info on actual basic requirements if we were continue to staff the gyms ourselves e.g. what qualifications are needed, what on going training, does the gym have to be staffed during all the time that the gym is open, what documentation do we need to keep on site i.e. relating to customers, equipment, etc, etc, etc, plus anything else you find that you think would be useful.
So, the forum is my first stop and I'd appreciate either direct answers to the questions or pointers in the right direction, suggestions of other people to canvass etc.
Cheers in advance,
James
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Posted By Raymond Rapp
Good afternoon James
I will start the 'ball rolling' as it were. Basically you need to consider those working in the gym are employees and therefore would be protected by all relevant legislation.
As the proprietor you will also be responsible for the safety of others e.g. users, cleaners, contractors etc. Hence you will have to ensure that the equipment is safe, maintained and all risks have been assessed. Provision of safe use documentation is a good idea too.
Incidentally, most of the above you would have to have had in place anyway, whether you contracted out or not. I am sure someone else will contribute.
Regards
Ray
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Posted By GARRY WIZZ
I would presume that you already hold some data relating to the previous contracts that would provide some data.
If the termination of contract is amicable I would ask said company for a 'copy' of training data, RA data etc,
This could provide you with a wealth of information.
garry
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Posted By Ken Taylor
The Institute of Sport & Recreation Management ( http://www.isrm.co.uk ) have a number of publications that may be of help to you. Hopefully you will also be employing competent gym staff/managers who will also bring the benefit of their experience and knowledge of current industry best practices.
From the H&S point of view, you can approach the gym like any workplace and adopt a risk assessment approach - including regular maintenance and examination of the equipment (including daily visual checks), fire and first-aid provision, etc, etc. Controlling access to safe authorised users is a key issue so rules for behaviour, membership application questionnaires (including relevant health issues), induction programmes, age restrictions, supervision, emergency alarms, ID cards, good door locks, etc should all be considered. I would, of course, also recommend installing automatic external defibrillators.
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Posted By jom
Ray,
In all seriousness, you might learn much from watching the old "Brittas Empire" episodes (and have some larfs too). A bit like using "Fawlty Towers" as a training aid for the hospitality industry.
John.
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Posted By Brigham
Isn't it sad that when an employer provides a "benefit" such as a gym, it is tied down by so much "red tape" that it makes you wonder why they bother in the first place. This to me is what gives H&S such bad press. Whatever happened to common sense and allowing people to decide for themselves what they can and can't do! Have a nice weekend...
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Posted By James Byatt
Absolutely agree,
Dare I even mention the age-old fear of litigation tied in with the liklihood of sports injuries and general larkin' about by our wonderful customer base of 18-24 year olds...
My aim is to keep it as simple and easy as possible to allow our customers to use the gyms in a hassle free environment.
Obviously, a 3rd party contractor was the easiest approach for US in which to achieve this.
I'm certainly not beating the issue with the H&S stick and yes, have considered the basics of H&S management such as training, competency and a risk assessment approach to managing the gyms. I guess in putting these posts on the forum there's always an element of laziness in the vane hope that someone will post a reply with all your answers in bullet points syaing do this, then this, then this etc.
Having said that, I don't want to detract from the responses so far and thanks to all for showing an interest and for your helpful replies.
Keep 'em coming!
Cheers all,
James
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