5 Tips for Keeping Your MMA Gym Protected

All businesses require appropriate security and safety measures, including gyms. The security measures a business utilizes will depend on the type of business it is and how it handles its clients’ information. Here are five tips for keeping your MMA gym protected.

1. Invest in Injury Prevention And Mitigation Measures

Every gym should have tools and strategies meant to protect clients and provide them with assistance should they be injured in any way. An MMA gym should have first aid kits in places where they can be easily accessed. Every employee should be trained in first aid and what to do in medical and other types of emergencies. You should also discuss your legal options, which may include liability waivers, notices of potential risk and various types of insurance coverage, with attorneys to determine what you need. All equipment should be regularly appraised to ensure compliance with industry safety standards.

2. Implement Good Cybersecurity in Addition to Physical Security

All kinds of Gyms, including MMA gyms, require solid, multi-faceted security measures to protect the physical space and digital assets. You should have alarms, locks, emergency exits and a security system. You should also invest in good cybersecurity for your computer systems and network. Increasingly, office equipment and exercise equipment are able to automatically connect to the internet. Equipment with this capability falls under the category of the Internet of Things (IoC). If your gym has IoT equipment, you should also invest in appropriate IOC cybersecurity tools.

3. Control Who Is Able To Access Your Facilities

A gym is typically a relatively public building. While only employees, members and potential future members should be attending classes or interacting with the equipment, the building still needs to be accessible. You should make sure you’re able to control who is able to enter your gym. You have a few options, but it’s a good idea to utilize more than one to make your access security more robust. Most gyms have a front desk. The employee manning the desk should keep an eye on the entrance and make sure everyone signs in and out. You can also implement a key card system, where members must swipe their membership cards to gain entry and non-members must request access.

4. Updated Any Necessary Paperwork Regularly

Your gym will require insurance policies, permits and other paperwork to function legally and safely as a place of business. Keep all records and paperwork in a safe, secure location and regularly review it for any changes or required updates. For example, most permits must be renewed at certain intervals, such as annually or every five years. Make sure you keep records of the dates when you first completed your paperwork and when each type of paperwork requires renewal. Gym memberships also have expiration dates, so you will need to monitor each client’s membership records and send reminders when it’s time for someone to renew his or her membership.

5. Protect Your Clients from Microbes

Gyms are places where many people are exercising, some in close quarters. People may also access locker rooms to change and clean up. This means a gym is one place where the spread of disease-carrying microbes is more likely than average. You can take steps to mitigate any spread. Provide cleaning wipes or cleaning spray and paper towels and require members to use these tools before and after they use any equipment. Make sure there is a regular cleaning schedule for facilities such as bathrooms and locker rooms. You may also wish to implement a policy for members to stay home when they’re sick to protect their peers and your employees.

When you run a gym, your clients will come and go throughout the gym’s hours of operation and will be using your equipment. You need to make sure that both their information and their physical well-being are kept safe and secure. You should have multiple layers of security and keep your gym and its equipment within industry regulations.

Mikkie Mills

Mikkie is a freelance writer from Chicago. She is also a mother of two who loves sharing her ideas on interior design, budgeting hacks, and DIY. When she’s not writing, she’s chasing the little ones or rock climbing at the local climbing gym.