Workers Compensation for Gym Employees: What You Need to Know and How It Can Protect Your Business

Any fitness facility knows there is a certain level of physical risk that goes into owning a gym. However, if a trainer at your facility develops a muscle strain, a torn ACL, or even a work-related back injury, it could mean that your business will end up paying their medical bills. That is why workers' compensation insurance is so vital for not only your facility but protecting your workers as well. In this blog post, we will explain in detail what you need to know about workers' compensation, specifically the benefits it provides to you and your employees, and who you need to contact to get you the policy you need.

Workers Compensation- What is it?

Workers Compensation is insurance that covers an employee's illness or even injury that results from the scope and the course of their job or position. Workers Compensation is based on a no-fault system. This means that employees will be entitled to compensation, even if the incident is their fault.

Employee Benefits

When your employees work around heavy weights and intense workout machines, it comes as no surprise that an injury may follow. Even something as simple as tripping over a dumbbell can have serious repercussions. However, if you have workers compensation insurance, you can rest assured that you will not be burdened with paying for all the out-of-pocket expenses that your employee's medical treatments may require. Instead, your workers' compensation policy will take care of these costs, which is a win-win for both of you.

From an employees' perspective, workers compensation can provide them with the following benefits:

• Provide compensation for medical costs, including immediate emergency room expenses.
• Provide the employee with partial lost wages while they are recovering from their injury.
• Provide compensation for medical costs that are ongoing, such as rehabilitation treatments.
• Provide those employees who cannot return to work in the same capacity the ability to perform other jobs. In situations where this arises, a gym's workers' compensation insurance can help pay to train these employees for a different career.
• Provide a family with death benefits in tragic cases when an employee is killed.

However, it is important to note that workers' compensation benefits are not available to those employees who are intoxicated and get into an accident, intentionally hurt themselves, or are injured outside of work. These benefits also do not usually include punitive damages or damages related to pain and suffering.

Employer Benefits

Generally speaking, workers' compensation policies provide protection against employees who want to sue a business owner over their work-related injury. This policy includes coverage for:

• Court Costs
• Lawyer Bills
• Judgments
• Settlements

If you are not adequately insured, even if the lawsuit is without merit. You can end up paying a substantial amount of money in legal defense. Additionally, workers' compensation insurance can help your business avoid paying for your employee's medical expenses and lost wages, following an injury that occurred in your gym. Without this coverage, these costs could cause your fitness center irreparable financial harm.

Regulations

Workers' compensation is often required by all businesses that have employees. There may be some exemptions available, but it is essential to check your state's rules to verify if coverage is mandatory regarding your business. As a result, it is against the law if your fitness facility does not have workers' compensation as part of its insurance coverage. If you decide to forgo this type of coverage, you are looking at lawsuits and hefty fines for breaking the law. For these reasons, you need to make sure that you do not put your gym and small business in jeopardy. Instead, you need to find and add the workers' compensation insurance that is right for you.

The Right Workers' Compensation Policy For You

As a gym owner, when it comes to purchasing workers' compensation, you want to be able to turn to a carrier that you can trust. Specifically, one that can provide you the aggregate purchasing power of more than 10,000 gyms. Luckily with NEXO Fitness Solutions, you can get precisely this plus so much more. Our team not only can help your fitness center eliminate advanced premiums, deposits, year-end audits, and deductibles through a "pay-as-you-go program. Which ultimately can help you even out premium payments and significantly improve your cash flow. But our experienced risk management team can provide you with a full suite of risk management services that can help with your claims reporting, OSHA compliance, work-site assessment, medical case management, loss control plans, cost containment strategies, and even drug-free workplace programs.

When you are looking into workers' compensation policies, you want to have your questions answered and get all the information you need upfront. You also want to be able to receive the services and the protection that you require. That is why, with NEXO Fit, you can expect the following:

• Provide your gym with fully-Insured workers' compensation coverage
• Provide your gym with a waiver of subrogation
• Provide your gym with statutory limits up to $1,000,000.
• Provide your gym with effective Certificate of Insurance requests processing
• Provide your gym with claims management
• Provide your gym with rates that are guaranteed for each year
• Provide your gym with prevention programs
• Provide your gym with Back-To-Work policies
• Provide your gym with accident investigations when required, as well as post-accident drug testing
• Provide your gym with a timely response to client and injured worker inquiries
• Provide your gym with a toll-free service number for any injury reporting, medical care management, and physician referral

If you are looking into workers' compensation policies, it is time to safeguard your fitness facility. 

Sources:

Gym Insurance: Cost, Coverage & Providers. (2020). By Virginia Hamill. Fit Small Business.

Injuries at a Gym - Does Workers' Comp Apply? (ND). HD Legal Resources.

A small business owner's guide to workers' comp insurance. (ND). Progressive.