Gym equipment servicing: after an injury, the court asks who last inspected the machine

You offer regular servicing and inspection of machines in gyms and fitness centres: checking steel cables, pulleys and attachments, lubricating and adjusting treadmills, replacing worn parts, repairing upholstery and, above all, a written record of every inspection. Big chains often have service contracts with their equipment suppliers, but independent gyms, hotel and company gyms, schools and sports halls tend to deal with servicing only once a machine stops working. That’s your opening. The standard for stationary training equipment assumes machines are regularly checked for wear, and in one Czech court case over a gym injury the first-instance court criticised the operator, among other things, because machine maintenance wasn’t done by a professional. The catch: the electrical parts of treadmills and other motorised machines may only be repaired by a qualified electrician, and testing electrical appliances needs a separate licence — check the rules where you are.