As a fitness instructor, you take the best care to ensure clients perform the exercise correctly, but accidents still happen. Sports, fitness, and leisure activities account for up to 25 million injuries among Americans each year.
Whether you work independently or for a gym, fitness instructor liability insurance safeguards you from third-party claims of physical injury, property damage, and professional errors. Unfortunately, some trainers forgo getting insurance due to overpriced policies and a general lack of knowledge. This can result in bankruptcy, business closures, legal fights, and costly claims.
Today, we’ll discuss why fitness liability insurance is a must for instructors and the types of coverage available.
Fitness Instructors and Negligence
Personal trainers are accountable for the safety and well-being of clients during training sessions. This level of liability is expected of them because it is assumed they are qualified to train the individual. However, injuries or property damage may occur due to poor or careless training procedures.
Unfortunate situations that may happen include, but are not limited to:
- Injuries caused by incorrect teaching
- Injury as a result of an exercise or program
- Client discontent with training services
- A post-exercise injury caused by overtraining
- Damage to property
So, what is negligence? Negligence occurs when an unfortunate event harms clients because of failure to provide the critical knowledge, care, or skills. In such cases, clients can take legal action if they can prove negligence.
This is where fitness liability insurance proves handy. Fitness instructors can avoid significant losses from expensive legal and medical costs.
What Types of Fitness Insurance Do Trainers Need?
Fitness instructors should at least have general liability and professional liability insurance, but it is recommended to get additional coverage depending on the extent of your services. For instance, if you’re leasing a studio, business property insurance can cover damages caused by accidents like a bursting pipe.
Even if your employer provides coverage, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Academy of Sports Medicine, two prestigious personal trainer certification organizations, recommend getting personal trainer insurance. This is because employer-provided policies may only offer limited coverage.
Here are the best types of insurance for exercise instructors:
1. General Liability Insurance
General liability insurance for fitness professionals typically covers the litigation and settlement costs connected with third-party physical injury, property damage, and personal injury claims.
For example, if your client slips on a yoga mat during a workout session and sprains their ankle, general liability pays for resulting legal, medical, and settlement costs.
2. Professional Liability Insurance
Also known as errors and omissions insurance or professional indemnity, professional liability safeguards you from claims of negligence, misrepresentation, inaccurate advice, and breach of contract. As with general liability insurance, it covers legal and settlement costs.
For instance, if a powerlifter strains his back while under your program, the professional liability policy will pay for lawyer fees, settlement, and other legal costs should that client sue you.
3. Commercial Property Insurance
This covers any damage to your facility and equipment, whether leased or owned. For instance, if a faulty pipe floods your property and damages your treadmills. Your policy will cover the replacement costs.
4. Product Liability Insurance
This applies to faulty equipment that causes an injury or products you recommend resulting in adverse effects. For instance, a client taking diet pills causes stomach pains, or a treadmill suddenly stops, and the user slips and falls, causing a broken hip.
5. Commercial Auto Insurance
Commercial auto insurance covers vehicles used for business activities, such as meeting clients for training sessions. It includes expenses incurred from injuries, property damage, or death.
6. Cybersecurity Liability
This protects policyholders from financial losses caused by cyberattacks such as hacking, ransomware, and data breaches. If financial data like credit card information gets stolen, cybersecurity insurance pays to inform clients and the methods used to retrieve the data.
7. Business Owner’s Policy (BOP)
A BOP combines general liability insurance with commercial property and business income insurance. Bundling policies like these is more affordable than purchasing these policies separately.
Additional Insurance Options for Fitness Instructors
Some insurance providers offer additional coverage on top of basic insurance. This may cover:
- Slander and libel
- Inadvertent violation of confidentiality
- Document loss
- Copyright infringement
- Inadvertently failing to refer to a healthcare provider
- Sexual abuse
Insurance will serve as your safety net against any contingency. Without it, you’ll have to pay claims out of pocket. Be sure to consult a professional if you’re unsure which policy is best for your practice.
Sample Scenarios Covered by Fitness Insurance
To give you a better understanding, here are a few scenarios where an insurance policy can be helpful:
- A yoga instructor forces a client to perform an advanced pose, resulting in an injury. Your client sues your small business for medical expenditures after consulting a doctor.
- One of your clients filed a claim after allegedly pulling a muscle from lifting too heavy during one of your sessions.
- A health and wellness coach recommends a product that causes an allergic reaction in the client. They decide to sue after the incident.
- A cable machine snaps due to a lack of maintenance, and the weight strikes a client’s head. They could pursue legal action against your business.
What Is Not Covered by Fitness Insurance Policies?
Most insurance policies focus on third-party liability, meaning they don’t cover any injuries sustained by fitness instructors while on the job. Additionally, professional athletes, underage individuals, and aerial or aquatic exercises are not protected.
Special coverage would need to be obtained to cover these scenarios.
What Types of Professionals Are Covered by a Fitness Instructor Insurance?
Whether offering private face-to-face sessions or online coaching, you can greatly benefit from getting insured. Here are the most common fitness professionals that apply for insurance:
- Kinstretch Instructors
- Lifestyle coaches
- Physique and performance trainers
- Group and private instructors
- Zumba instructors
- Pilates teachers
- Cardio trainers
- Yoga teachers
- Personal trainers
- CrossFit trainers
- Aerobics instructors
- Dietitians and Nutritionists
- Dance instructors
How Much Does Personal Trainer Insurance Cost?
Standard personal trainer insurance ranges from $39 to $89 per month, with additional coverage costing more. The cost of your premium will be determined by various criteria, including:
- Claims history
- Nature of your practice
- Number of policies
- Coverage limits
- Training services offered
- Number of employees if you operate a business
- Business location
Fitness Trainer Insurance FAQs
Can online fitness trainers get liability insurance?
Yes, there are insurance providers that cover online fitness instructors. Even if you conduct virtual lessons, clients still face the danger of being injured while following your program. If you get sued, your insurance will pay for the costs associated with these claims.
However, since online training is relatively new, the legal implications in this area need to be more well-defined. For extra protection, have clients sign informed consent and participant information forms. You should also draft Privacy Policy and Terms of Service documents.
Do I need liability insurance to become a fitness instructor?
Having liability insurance is not legally required for trainers. However, some fitness centers require their employees to obtain professional liability insurance.
Do waivers offer coverage?
Waivers can minimize potential liabilities. However, they do not offer financial coverage in case of accidents and property damage.
If my employer offers fitness insurance, do I still need to apply for personal coverage?
Even if your company has a general liability policy, obtaining personal liability coverage is always a good idea. The company’s general liability policy does not typically include professional liability coverage for trainers.
I’m confident that my clients will never sue me. Do I still need coverage?
In a perfect world, we all want this to be true, however, there is no guarantee that a client will not sue you, especially when it involves life-changing damages. Fitness liability insurance protects you, your career, and your assets if it does happen.
Conclusion
The more risks your profession faces, the more coverage and higher premiums you’ll need. For example, a personal trainer who offers virtual classes will have cheaper business insurance rates than one who leases space and equipment and hires employees.
Nevertheless, it is always advisable to assess your risks to determine the best type of insurance policy for your practice. If it’s your first time obtaining coverage, you can hire an insurance broker to help assess your needs and choose a policy.
Get Protected from Costly Liability Claims
You could practice for decades and still be held liable for an accident. API Fitness offers affordable insurance for group fitness instructors, personal trainers, and all types of fitness professionals in Los Angeles.
Our simple online application process takes only a few minutes. Your coverage will be ready within days, allowing you to train clients anywhere with complete confidence. Contact us today to learn more about our premiums or to apply for membership.
