Expect the Unexpected

Several years back, when I walked into my fitness center, the front desk staffer told me that the facility was closed for a few hours because a nest of bees was found in the women’s locker room. Yikes! I didn’t get the story on how it was discovered, or if anyone had actually gotten stung, but a situation like that could be costly for a business (an injured member, loss of business, reputation, etc.).

Another unexpected emergency happened recently at a fitness center in Immokalee, Fla. The Immokalee Sports Complex was closed for three days when a leak was discovered in the chlorination tank for the pool. A hazardous materials team was called in, and three staff members and a contractor who were exposed to the vapors were taken to a hospital. A clean-up company determined that the chlorine tank was contaminated by an acidic solution.

While these two situations may seem extreme, they did happen at fitness centers, and can happen at yours. In fact, you need to be prepared for any number of strange occurrences – both in terms of member injuries or to the actual building itself. And while you can’t possibly prepare for every scenario, you can (and should) have a risk-management plan in place.

Do you and your staff members know what to do in an emergency? For some tips on how to create an emergency plan, search FM’s Article Archive for "risk management" or "safety."