As a personal trainer, you spend your day helping others become the best versions of themselves. Now we’re here to help you out by making sure you’re covered with all the correct insurance policies for your industry. Read on for some answers to four commonly asked questions about insurance for personal trainers in Canada.
As a fitness instructor, it’s important to know what your current insurance covers, since not all policies are created equally. For example, some policies may not cover property damage caused by an individual participating in weight training, and others may not cover bodily harm caused by injuries from hazards like slippery floors. The best way to find out exactly what your current insurance covers is to reach out to your insurance provider directly. For personal trainers who are covered by the gym or studio that they work at, you should still ask your employer for a detailed account of what policies apply to you.
If you offer personal training sessions for gyms or fitness studios, be sure to read their contracts carefully to find out what they are covered for. Some will require their trainers to be insured for bodily injury and some won’t. The contract may also need to specify that you’ll be handling both in-person and online classes or sessions, not just one or the other.
Making sure you have the correct insurance coverage is also important because different policies come with different gaps in protection. For instance, if you’re working for a gym and they only offer professional liability insurance, you could still be held liable for negligence if one of your clients claims that an exercise you told them to do made an existing injury worse. Be sure you know exactly what your gym is covered for — and if you’re included in the policy — so you know what you need to stay covered.
Additionally, consider how your industry is changing and how that may affect your professional liability risk exposure. For example, there’s been an increase in demand for online training services like virtual coaching and video consulting. However, just because your business is home based doesn’t mean it’ll be covered under your home insurance policy. If one of your clients feels that they’ve injured themselves due to following your instructions, they could come after you for damages. Should this happen, you’ll need the proper business insurance policy to ensure that you don’t have to pay out of pocket.
Related read: How to Start a Personal Training Business
Whether you’re a personal trainer, gym owner, sport fitness coach, or even just working with clients on your own at home, it’s vital that you have the right kind of insurance to protect both yourself and your clients. There are several types of liability that come with being a fitness professional, and having the proper insurance policy can help mitigate those risks. Here are some of the most common insurance policies that personal trainers and fitness professionals should have:your
Professional liability insurance. Should a client feel that you’ve acted negligibly and come after you for damages, professional liability insurance (also called errors and omissions) will help pay for legal fees and damages should the court agree that you were in the wrong.
Commercial general liability insurance. There’s plenty of potential danger in a gym and fitness studio, from a water bottle spill creating a dangerous slippery floor to heavy weights being placed precariously on a ledge. This important coverage protects you from any visitors and clients that may get injured while on your premises.
Contents insurance. Gym equipment isn’t cheap. If something goes wrong and one of your machines breaks, this policy helps you pay for a replacement, so you don’t have to take the unexpected cost all on your own.
Since personal trainers can be held liable for any injury they cause to their clients, they need to make sure they have correct liability coverage and that it covers bodily injury. APOLLO Insurance makes this easy by bundling all these policies into one simple package, so you’re not missing out on coverage that you need, and you’re not paying for coverage that you don’t need.
Get the protection you need in minutes with custom Personal Trainer Insurance from APOLLO.
Originally published November 17, 2022, updated August 25, 2023
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