Do you work in the fitness industry? According to the Sports Think Tank, the fitness sector is growing and, in 2019, is worth more than £5 billion. This means the career opportunities in fitness and leisure are increasing too and there are plenty of areas in which you can specialise.
You might work as a personal trainer, yoga or Pilates instructor, Zumba teacher or run boot camps or circuit training classes. Whatever fitness training you provide, it’s important to have the right insurance in place to protect you and your clients.
In this blog, we’ll explore the types of insurance you might want to consider and, in particular, take a closer look at Medical Malpractice insurance.
What is Medical Malpractice Insurance?
Medical Malpractice (also referred to as Med Mal or Medical Indemnity) is insurance that is designed to protect you against claims of professional negligence. Similar to Professional Indemnity Insurance, Med Mal is the equivalent insurance for the medical profession.
For fitness professionals, because of the work you do instructing clients in physical fitness, Medical Malpractice Insurance may be a better option than standard Professional Indemnity Insurance.
Why is Medical Malpractice insurance a Good Option for Fitness Professionals?
If you give advice or instruct individuals in fitness activities, then you’d be well advised to protect yourself with Medical Malpractice Insurance. If you work in a gym, a yoga studio or even use local playing fields to run boot camps or personal training sessions, it may not feel to you as though you are at risk of being sued. But the fact is that you provide a professional service and, if something goes wrong, your clients can make a claim for professional negligence against you.
Even if you undertake risk assessments and take every precaution to ensure safety, mistakes are made from time to time and these could result in injury.
In today’s litigious society, individuals are much more likely to make a claim if they get hurt while attending an exercise class that you run. As a fitness instructor, you have a contractual duty to deliver your services with a reasonable level of care and skill. If you fail in that duty and one of your clients sustains an injury as a result, then they are within their rights to make a claim against you.
However, if they do make a claim against you, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the law will rule in their favour. For their claim to succeed, the individual will need to be able to prove that you deviated from the accepted standard instruction for a particular exercise.
Whatever the outcome, a legal case could be a long and drawn out process. Even if you are able to successfully defend a claim made against you, it’s possible that you could incur significant legal costs in the process.
Medical Malpractice Insurance from Tapoly would meet your legal costs and also pay any financial settlement to the claimant if you were found to be negligent.
What Other Types of Insurance Should Fitness Instructors Consider?
In addition to Medical Malpractice Insurance, it’s worth looking at:
- Public liability insurance – this would protect you if someone got injured at one of your classes (not as the result of advice given by you) or you damaged someone else’s possessions.
- Personal Accident insurance – if you are injured while you’re working, this would provide you with financial compensation, allowing you to focus on your recovery.
- Sports Equipment cover – our contents insurance would cover the cost of replacing your sports equipment if it was accidentally damaged either by you or a fitness client.
Why Choose Tapoly to Insure Your Fitness Business?
At Tapoly our on demand insurance means you can get cover quickly and easily with the minimum of fuss. No long and boring forms to fill in, just a few simple questions and cover can be arranged in a matter of one or two minutes. What’s more, it’s probably more affordable than you might think. Depending on what you do and the amount of cover you need, it’s likely to set you back by just a few pounds a month.
If you need help and support in getting your insurance please contact us at info@tapoly.com