One of the perks that you, as a club owner provide to your employees and independent contractors is that they can work out in your facility pretty much anytime that they want to.
Your worker’s compensation insurance covers you and your employees should they injure themselves in the scope of their employment. However, what would happen if they injure themselves when they are “off the clock”?
Although accidents involving employees working out on their own time are rare, they do occasionally happen. Equipment malfunction, slip and fall incidents in wet areas, and trainers who do stupid things when no one is watching are all possible scenarios. These are the kinds of conditions that contribute to and can result in employee related, off-the-clock injuries.
The problem with these types of off-the-clock injuries to your employee is that they are NOT covered by your workers’ compensation insurance. Herein lies the problem. Unless every employee and independent contractor has signed a membership WAIVER, the club is exposed to litigation.
This is why you need to consider your employees as members too. Your employees are basically paid members of your club. Protect yourself. Protect your club. And do not waver on this point. If they refuse to sign a membership liability waiver, then don’t hire them.
