Safety First!

From concept to construction to function, minimizing member risks is essential

When you think about the physical embodiment of a club, you’re likely to think about the bricks and mortar, glass and steel, furniture and exercise equipment, courts and pools­—those are the things that come most easily, most immediately, to mind. But the one quality, the one attribute, that links all of them is that they must ensure the safety of members and staff.

            That’s true whether the club in question is still just a series of blueprints, or a structure rising from the ground, or an established fitness venue, or one that’s in the process of being renovated or expanded.

            In short, when it comes to clubs, it’s: Safety first!

            “Architecture and design are realistic disciplines that focus on the member experience, and safety is always the first and foremost consideration,” posits Tom Kulp, the CEO and chief motivational officer of the Universal Athletic Club (UAC), in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A three-story, 90,000-square-foot facility, UAC is responsible for the safety of some 14,000 members. 

            The issue of safety is obviously a complex one, involving thousands of individual considerations and countless decisions. Many of the relevant building requirements are specified by law. The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials), and the VGB (Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act) are some of the national standards that need to be adhered to, and each state and municipality has their own. The local building inspector’s office is a good source for code information, and, when the club undergoes a permit review, the town inspector can provide guidance.

            Because clubs are such complex entities, it’s impossible to identify all of the details that impact on safety. But, by checking in with designers, consultants, and club operators and staff, it is possible to pinpoint major factors and areas of concern, which is what CBI has done. Most of their comments and suggestions deal with specific needs, but one recommendation seems to encompass them all.

“The most effective way to make sure that safety issues are tackled appropriately is to hire a seasoned architect with substantial experience in the health club arena,” insists Larry Conner, the manager of the Stone Creek Club and Spa, in Covington, Louisiana. “I’ve worked with nonclub architects at other clubs, and they simply don’t understand the particulars of this industry.” Stone Creek, built two years ago, is a 52,000-square-foot facility, situated on 15 acres, that serves more than 3,500 members.

All architects are familiar with basic safety guidelines, but few are knowledgeable about the nuances of club operation. “Let’s face it,” says Bryan Dunkleberger, a principal in S3 Design, in Quincy, Massachusetts. “People with wet feet generally don’t generally walk around in a towel in a museum’s exhibition halls. And they don’t go to the restaurant to lift 150-pound hamburgers over their heads.”

Flow, fluids, fresh air

Since bodies-in-motion are what create problems, avoiding accidents begins with a sensible traffic-flow pattern. Wide, clearly defined circulation pathways allow members to enter and exit easily, without bumping into one another or creating bottlenecks, and an open design allows staff to observe and quickly react to situations as they develop. “Club operators frequently underestimate what a simple and efficient circulation path can do for them,” says Dunkleberger. “We think of these as the highways inside of a club.”

            Moving into other areas of the club, things become a bit trickier.

            Slips and falls cause the majority accidents, and many of them occur in a club’s wet areas—locker rooms, showers, steam room, Jacuzzi, bathroom, and swimming pool. Most falls can be prevented by paying attention to the composition and condition of what’s underfoot. Tile in wet areas should be no more than four square inches with sanded grout that has a high coefficient of friction, suggests Steve Tharrett, the president of Club Industry Consulting, an industry consultancy based in Highland Village, Texas.

            Older facilities that didn’t utilize small tiles may have to compensate with mats, but those can introduce other risks. “Mats are hazardous,” points out Conner. “They may fray or have a lip on them, which may cause trips, and they’re not sanitary.”

Floors should be kept as dry as possible, and ones that are sloped and have multiple drains prevent water from pooling in one spot.

Careful consideration should be given to areas that transition from wet to dry. Doni Visani, a senior principal at Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative Design, in Denver, advises, “Contain the wet zone.” Making the transition space as long as possible, he says, will prevent water from being tracked where it’s not wanted. To that end, toilets and showers should be placed deep inside the locker room, so that, by the time someone reaches a dry area, most of the water is off their feet.

A club’s pool area raises additional safety concerns, relating to pool depth, water temperature, drains, filtration systems, and chemicals. The temperature in both the pool and hot tubs needs to be checked automatically to ensure that it never exceeds 102 degrees F., which can be policed by an automatic shut-off valve. Pool chemicals, which are caustic and can be unstable, are another serious issue. “Chlorine needs to be protected,” observes Cliff Buckholz, the owner of Miramont Lifestyle Fitness, which has four sites in Fort Collins, Colorado. “It can explode!”

Miramont protects members by using a safer, sodium-based formula, and keeps all of its chemicals in special storage rooms at each of its clubs.

Humidity is a killer, and wet areas require proper ventilation to keep them dry and avoid overheating. “If you smell the pool, it’s an indication that there’s not enough air flow,” says Visani. “It means that the HVAC system hasn’t been adequately designed to handle the changing environment.”

In wet spaces, Tharrett explains, there needs to be a negative exhaust to withdraw stagnant air, while allowing a steady flow of fresh air to be drawn in. “The goal is to zone specific areas so you can provide the proper temperature control for a given type of activity,” he says.

That applies equally in the group exercise rooms, notes Conner. “Condensation can form, making hardwood floors slippery,” he says. “This is of particular concern in the cycling room, where members are walking around in clipless cycling shoes.” Excess humidity can also compromise guardrails: metal anchors can corrode, a bolt may loosen, and the railing no longer supports a user’s weight.

Exercise great caution

Because group exercise rooms are primarily empty space, questions about their safety tend not to arise. That said, however, there are concerns that need to be considered. Dunkleberger suggests, for instance, that it’s best to allot a separate room for cycling. Asking members to move the bikes introduces a risk. “There have been lawsuits where people have pulled the bike to the side and broken an ankle,” he warns. Bikes also eat up space around the perimeter of the room, restricting the space between members.

Similarly, props and equipment can accumulate, consuming precious square footage. Sufficient storage hides the exercise tools and prevents tripping. “We recommend a 10% addition for the storage of props,” says Dunkleberger.

Cardiovascular-training areas present two principle problems: insufficient space between equipment and exposed electrical wires. “You need to think about the space around the piece of equipment,” advises Kulp. “How are people going to walk by? Is there a dangerous corner sticking out, and, if so, do we need to put something yellow there to alert members?”

The tendency at American clubs is to pack as many units as possible into a room. “In Europe, you don’t see hordes of cardio equipment,” reports Tharrett. European clubs, he explains, tend to group their equipment into pods of 20-30 units. Tharrett recommends allocating 50-60 square feet per piece—that provides sufficient operating space and facilitates proper circulation.

Treadmills are, perhaps, the most demanding type of cardio gear. “Typically, manufacturers recommend a clearance of six feet behind a unit,” says Visani.

Miramont marks their treadmill tracks with a stenciled logo so it’s clear when the machine is running. “If there’s nothing on the tread, people don’t realize it and might get off and leave it running,” observes Buckholz.

Electric cabling can also prove treacherous in the fitness room. “If you don’t think about hiding cables when you’re building a club, you’ll wind up with them running all over the place, creating a serious trip hazard,” notes Conner. Clubs need to have an adequate number of electrical outlets so cords don’t have to be stretched across pathways, he says. Stone Creek, for its part, hides the cords in electrical boxes abutting the equipment served.

Maintaining a safe situation

After all of the careful consideration, due diligence, and detailed follow-up have been done to create a safe environment for members and staff, the job of sustaining it becomes that of management and the maintenance staff.

“When they take over a club, seasoned operators will have their own procedures and training methods in place,” observes Visani. “But others may not understand the incredible range of things they need to be aware of.” For that reason, it’s recommended that clubs hire an experienced, professional maintenance director with club experience who can oversee and coordinate frequent safety checks.

Miramont goes to great lengths to monitor safety. Its clubs are divided into zones, and a zone “owner” performs daily inspections using a safety checklist. “Our Operating Values state, first and foremost: ‘We monitor and address safety,’” explains Shane Hunsinger, the chain’s general manager and CFO. Each housekeeper has a checklist of items to inspect during their shifts, but they also rely on one another and every other employee to perpetuate safe conditions.

UAC has similar checks and balances. “I walk through the building several times a day looking for potential repairs,” says Deb Dickinson, the director of maintenance. First aid kits and hand sanitizers are ubiquitous throughout the club.

“I spend more money on wipes than anyone else in the club business,” jokes Kulp.

All too often, operators regard safety concerns as a necessary evil and possible impediment to good design, but, in fact, safety, aesthetics, functionality, and member satisfaction go hand in hand. Efficient traffic flow, fresh air, a comfortable personal space, a pervasive sense of security—all of these and other safety factors contribute to a more enjoyable and rewarding club experience.

Concludes Visani: “Clubs need to be designed—and perform—in a holistic way.”