7 ways to increase gym security

For many of us, the gym is a huge part of our life and daily routine, and although it might not always be a topic we think about consciously, gym security is certainly important to us.

Whether we realise it or not, the safety and security of where we choose to exercise can play a huge role in the overall effectiveness of our workouts. After all, the more at ease we feel in our environment, the better our performance.

Regular gym-goers may spend more time in the gym than they think. Even just nipping in for a session on your way home from work two or three times a week can quickly rack up your hours.

In fact, a recent UK fitness report by PureGym found that of the 87% of people who partake in some form of exercise in this country, a third do so two to three times a week.

Be it when parking our cars outside, leaving our valuables in a locker, or when disclosing personal or sensitive information to trainers, it’s fair to say we put a lot of trust in our gyms. So, if you own or run a gym business, gym security should be one of your top priorities.

In this blog, we’ll look at 7 ways you can increase your gym security.

 

How to increase your gym security

1. Install a mobile access control system

A mobile access control system is one of the best ways to improve your gym security. There’s no doubt that traditional access systems, such as individual key cards and fobs, have served the industry well over the years, but access control is evolving.

Fraudsters, hackers and impersonators are now cleverer than ever and can easily clone things like cards to gain unauthorised access to your gym. All it takes is for one person to leave their card unattended for a few seconds, and you could be unknowingly granting access to anyone.

However, you can wave goodbye to these risks with a mobile system. The use of encrypted technology stored within a user’s smartphone means that mobile access credentials are virtually impossible to clone.

And not only does it make sense from a security perspective, but it’s also a whole lot easier for your customers and clients to gain entry to your gym facilities.

No more lost key cards—which can be expensive to replace—or scrambling around in the bottom of a kitbag to find one; with everything stored securely in your customers’ phones, just a quick tap and they’re in.

Related: The benefits of switching to mobile access control

 

2. Increase CCTV

The use of specialist CCTV is another crucial step in upping your gym security game. From the high street to our homes, CCTV is everywhere in modern society, and your gym should be no different—especially if you have a 24-hour gym with a varying staff count throughout each day.

Monitoring CCTV footage is not only helpful to you as the gym owner, but also the mere presence of cameras in the first place is often enough to deter criminals and put your customer’s minds at ease.

Companies like GymSafe—whose research suggests almost two-thirds of gym-goers are more likely to use a gym that has 24/7 CCTV as opposed to one that doesn’t—provide tailored gym security to help owners efficiently track customer behaviour and monitor goings-on at all times.

Safety and security considerations aside, installing CCTV at your gym is also in your best interests from a commercial point of view if customers are more likely to use your gym if you have it installed. So, from the car park to the workout areas, make sure your gym has all the necessary setups.

Top tip: Make sure you have CCTV installed at your gym entrance, as this, coupled with mobile access control, will help you keep track of exactly who is entering and exiting the premises.

The main entrance is also where tailgating is most likely to occur, so having CCTV in place can help you clamp down on this especially.

 

3. Install emergency alarms

CCTV and emergency alarms go hand in hand and are equally important to your gym security efforts.

Regardless of how big or small your gym might be, the chances are you’ll have expensive equipment kept on the premises. Expensive equipment can be a prime target for theft and vandalism, but emergency alarms can act as an effective deterrent.

The health and safety of your customers and staff should be your highest priority as a gym owner, and having a working alarm system installed is integral to this.

Some of the most commonly used alarms include:

• burglar or intruder alarms
• fire alarms
• carbon monoxide alarms

Alarms can alert you and anyone on the gym premises of anything untoward. They’re also essential in the event of emergencies such as fires or floods.

You may also find that having a working alarm system fitted is a gym security requirement on your gym insurance policy—so double-check this, too.

 

4. Ensure gym staff are properly trained

It should go without saying for most responsible gym owners, but every time you hire a new member of staff, you should ensure they receive sufficient gym security training as part of their onboarding process.

Regardless of their specific role within the gym, all staff should be up to speed on safety rules and emergency procedures. This includes the ability to recognise and correctly report suspicious behaviour, handle confrontation, and effectively manage potential difficulties.

Remember, though—this shouldn’t just be a focus for newly recruited staff. Longer-serving members of your team should also undergo regular gym security training refreshers.

Making sure everyone is aligned with procedures will ensure a smoother day-to-day running of your gym, and mean you’re better equipped to deal with any potential security breaches.

 

5. Install secure lockers

Though perhaps the most obvious gym security measure, changing room lockers are so important.

As a gym owner, you must provide somewhere safe and secure for your customers, clients and staff to keep their personal belongings and valuable items when using your facilities.

Remember that people will often be visiting your gym on their way to and from other places, such as work, so they’ll probably have extra items with them that they don’t necessarily need while using the gym.

Your staff—particularly those who work directly on the gym floor training with clients—will also need somewhere to store things while they’re working. Without lockers, people may end up having to keep their belongings on the gym floor or stashed between equipment, which is not only a serious trip hazard but also an opportunity for thieves and vandals to strike undetected.

From traditional lockers that operate with lock and key or combination padlocks to the more modern electronic storage units that open via fobs or mobile access control, there are various locker types available nowadays.

Some gyms even sell padlocks, too, so you might also want to consider this as an option to promote security.

 

6. Increase lighting in the car park

When looking at ways to make your gym environment safe and secure for customers and staff, it can be easy just to focus on the gym itself and overlook the outside and general vicinity.

However, if you have a car park on the premises, for example, this should also be included in your gym security plan.

Theft and vandalism can also occur outside the main gym building and should still be taken seriously. It’s important that your gym car park remains well-lit when it’s dark, either late at night or early in the morning. Although good lighting alone won’t completely prevent criminal activity from happening on your premises, it can help people feel safer and make it less likely.

Other car park security measures for your gym could include installing barriers that only permit authorised vehicles or—depending on size and budget—employing designated car park staff.

As a minimum, you should have CCTV installed in your gym car park for monitoring purposes.

Related: How to secure your business car park

 

7. Make sure your gym internet is secure

Cyber-security is another important factor for gym owners. If your gym provides Wi-Fi to customers and staff, you must ensure it’s secure with things like data encryption and strong passwords to protect people’s data and privacy.

If your Wi-Fi is not secure, you potentially run the risk of criminals hacking into your system and accessing sensitive information such as customer addresses, bank details or health records.

Having secure Wi-Fi will also encourage more customer trust in your gym and you as an owner, as you’ll be demonstrating an understanding of the importance of security.

 

Specialist gym insurance through Ripe

If you want complete peace of mind when running your gym, you may want to consider having specialist gym insurance in place to cover all the bases.

Owning a gym comes with a wide range of risks, but specialist gym insurance can help protect you and your business should the worst happen.

There are various cover options to choose from through Ripe, including Public and Products Liability, and Legal Costs cover should you ever need to defend yourself against a serious claim.

If you employ staff at your gym, having Public Liability cover is essential. Learn more about specialist gym insurance coming soon to Ripe here.