Being a personal trainer is rewarding, but there are things that can go wrong. All careers have aspects to them where an injury or other serious issues could occur.
As perhaps a CrossFit trainer, this sometimes means injuries to the client, requiring liability insurance as a backup. With so many options for liability insurance out there, how do you find the right policy?
A Look into the Cost of Liability Insurance
Your first likely concern is what you pay for your liability insurance premiums per month. What you pay all depends on your size, claim history, and policy limits.
If your personal training business has riskier workout programs, you may need to pay a little more for coverage. If you have no claims history, you’ll likely pay less. If there is a prior claim, premiums will be higher.
One thing to keep in mind is if you decide to go with a cheaper liability plan, it may not cover all areas of injury. Sometimes it’s better to pay for a comprehensive policy just so you’re covered for everything (and anything).
Before you start looking at pricing, analyze your personal training business and see what your most significant liabilities are.
General Liability is the Most Common
Every personal trainer needs general liability, especially if in a more robust training business like CrossFit.
All general liability policies help protect you from any lawsuits and accidents that occur within your business. Since the human body is sometimes fragile, a client could easily injure themselves on an apparatus, ultimately blaming you for the accident. The last thing you want is to deal with litigation that could potentially drain your finances and put your CrossFit business in jeopardy.
This type of insurance covers injuries and pays the medical bills for the injured person. Since this could easily happen, you’ll save yourself money in the long run if you choose a more detailed plan.
Besides, some personal injury medical bills (particularly those related to the back or hip) could add up to six figures.
What About Professional Liability Insurance?
Another part of liability insurance is the professional liability side. Oftentimes, this is called Error and Omissions Insurance (or E&O), which covers you if your personal training advice caused an injury for one of your clients.
A client might sue you for negligence if you told the client to do something in their workout routine that led to them getting hurt. Or, it might relate to you being accused of not warning someone while they do a demanding physical maneuver.
Other cases might involve freak accidents that occur on your property, placing you to blame for being negligent in some way. A professional liability insurance policy covers these situations for you when medical bills for a client potentially skyrocket.
Do You Need Workers’ Comp?
Another angle to liability insurance is workers comp, something you should never be without. Your own employees could also become injured on the job if the exercise equipment in-house fails. Or, it could become an injury occurring due to something you overlooked within the building or property.
Your employees could also sue you for negligence in this case, leading to further financial challenges. Most workers comp packages cover:
- Lost wages
- Death benefits
- Retraining
Some states require workers comp, so be sure to check your state laws to see if it’s mandatory. Otherwise, the choice is yours to get it or not. Owners of your personal training business have a right to include or exclude themselves from this type of coverage. Because normal health insurance doesn’t always cover work-on-the-job injuries, you’re better off finding a workers comp insurance policy to remain as secure as possible.
The alternatives to the unknown certainly apply here. With any type of injury possible in personal training like CrossFit, it’s better to be safe with workers comp than sorry.
What About Liability Insurance Bundles?
Many bundles are also available through insurance providers. These are often known as business owners’ policies (or a BOP) where you get liability insurance and property damage coverage all in one package.
Having both together is more convenient since you can keep track of everything in one policy rather than manage two separate ones. A bundle will also protect you from all angles, including from client/employee lawsuits, or expensive damage to your building.
One great thing about a bundle is if you’re renting your property, you can also be covered for damages if they occur out of the blue. Something might happen where your rented building ends up incurring damage from heavy training apparatuses, or maybe a fire.
In this case, the lines blur between liability and property coverage, sometimes working effectively alone through a liability policy.
Where Do You Turn to Find Liability Insurance Nowadays?
If you’re new to searching for liability insurance, it always pays to Google it up first to see what you really need. Coverage varies depending on the provider, with most policies not covering theft.
While you may need separate policies for various things, being protected from client lawsuits is the most important of all. With recent reports showing business lawsuits staying within the 30% range most of this last decade, it proves far too many things can happen unexpectedly.
What’s most important in finding liability insurance for your personal training business is to find a provider understanding what your type of business faces. Some providers just sell general policies without comprehending what a specific business niche needs.
At CrossFit RRG, we offer insurance directly to those in the CrossFit industry. It means whatever unique circumstances you have in your training business, we have experts who know exactly what you need. Contact us now for an immediate quote.
If you’re a broker looking for innovative insurance solutions for your clients, we invite you to learn more about NEXO Insurance Services. With a focus on technology, flexibility, and customer service, NEXO offers a wide range of insurance products and services designed to meet the unique needs of today’s businesses.
By partnering with NEXO, you can offer your clients the peace of mind that comes with knowing they have the right insurance coverage in place. To learn more about NEXO Insurance Services and how they can help you grow your business, visit our Agents & Broker website or contact us today.