Legislating the Fitness Industry
By Brian Gilbank and Scott Wildeman
Legislation or certification of clubs needs to balance public safety and profitability.
There is currently no legislation in Canada that covers fitness clubs or the certification of fitness professionals. Should this change?
Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC), The International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) and several other international certifying and industry organizations all agree that any legislation must be fair and equitable.
However, FIC believes that the best scenario is one in which the industry polices itself. Government intervention and regulatory reform in any industry always creates widespread cost increases which would need to be passed on to consumers. This in turn would make access to health and fitness services more expensive at a time when the focus should be on making it more affordable.
Making fitness more accessible to Canadians could actually save billions in associated healthcare costs. With stringent policies and medical industry support, industry-led club certification could even lead to insurance coverage for memberships and personal training expenses, thereby increasing access to healthy lifestyles.
Ensuring Quality in Personal Training
Currently, employers require their personal trainers and fitness leaders to have industry certifications, though they are not obligated to require certifications at all. These certifications provide consumers with high quality services and peace of mind. Many personal trainers also have academic degrees in sports rehabilitation, physical education and biological sciences.
The issue of government regulation has arisen because several agencies offer certifications, there are no government educational requirements, and club owners accept various types of certification.
This is where public awareness becomes a key component to increasing compliance with certification. Consumers must be made aware that they should support clubs that offer certified trainers. Likewise, clubs with certified trainers should market themselves as such
Club Certification – Higher Level Peace of Mind
Most club owners currently ask their members to answer health questionnaires and require medical sign-off for specific issues. These same club owners also offer sanitation and safety practices, clear signage and emergency preparedness procedures. But not every club follows these procedures, and no external body recognizes them as creating a safer facility.
The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), in partnersip with other fitness industry organizations, has created a process of club certification that would recognize this work. The group has laid out these goals for certification:
1. Standards should be practical.
2. Standards should reflect best practices.
3. Standards should grow the fitness club industry by increasing consumer confidence in the safety of accredited facilities.
4. The certification should result in positive attention from the medical community with corresponding increases in patient referrals.
5. The certification should increase positive attention from employers, insurance companies and other third-party payers.
Businesses interested in being certified would need to adhere to industry-led regulation concerning the following items:
1. Pre-activity screening for new and prospective members to reduce injury risk and occurrence.
2. Orientation, education and supervision of new members and prospective members to ensure safety.
3. Risk management and emergency policy standards.
4. Criteria for professional staff and independent contractors to ensure levels of competency.
5. Compliance with federal and local regulations, if any.
6. Facility operating practices.
7. Signage.
For most current club owners the above list isn’t onerous, and IRHSA anticipates that over 80% of its member clubs would opt for certification. Those not interested are largely concerned with organizations telling them how to run their business not with the guidelines of the proposed certification.
The hope is that voluntary compliance with an industry-led certification would make the issue of government-led certifications and licensures a waste of public dollars.
Scott Wildeman is the VP of Fitness Services for World Health Club. He has been with World Health Club for the past 10 years, working as a personal trainer, group fitness instructor and fitness manager. He is a PRO trainer with Can-Fit-Pro and holds a degree in kinesiology from the University of Calgary.
Brian Gilbank is the executive director of Fitness Industry Council of Canada. Previously, Brian has developed policy for Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, worked in research and development in new technology licensing for Omachron Research, managed commercial properties, and operated a construction company.
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