If you run a gym or are employed in the exercise or fitness industry, you have dedicated yourself to your business and aim to offer the best facility and advice to your customers and clients.

Gym insurance or insurance for personal trainers, exercise professionals, and fitness instructors will protect that business from unforeseen events that can have financial and legal consequences.

Gym insurance, like other forms of business insurance, will include several types of insurance tailored to your business, depending on its nature, size, and requirements.

Business Insurance for Gyms in Ireland

Table of Content

What is business insurance for gyms, exercise professionals, and trainers?

Business insurance protects gyms and fitness businesses from a variety of unforeseen events such as accidents and injury, equipment breakdown, fire, theft etc.

Gym, exercise, and fitness insurance is similar to other types of business insurance in that it is best comprised of a range of types of cover that offer protection against the risks associated with your individual business.

Gyms are areas that present an inherently high risk of injury and property damage to those who use them, be that personal injury, equipment damage, and building damage. For this reason finding insurance for a gym or for those working in the gym, fitness, or exercise sector can be a challenge.

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Types of insurance for gyms and trainers

Just as each gym and fitness business is different, insurance for gyms and trainers addresses specific risks that are unique to this industry in a tailored package of insurance types. Your business may require some or all of these insurance types:

Types of insurance personal trainers and gym owners should have.

Buildings and contents cover

If you operate a gym or your business has its own centre or premises, depending on whether or not you own your premises, you may need buildings and contents cover or just contents cover.

Buildings cover protects the fabric of the building in which you operate and offers financial protection should the building be damaged by perils such as storm, flood, lightning, escape of water, and theft or vandalism.

Even if you rent your premises, it is still wise to have contents cover in place. This will offer you protection should your fixtures and fittings, equipment, and stock be damaged in an insured event.

This type of commercial property insurance may also include business interruption cover which will cover the costs of getting your business back up and running, or operating from an alternative location, following an insured event.

Equipment cover

Gym and training equipment is expensive to purchase and maintain and it is essential that it is properly checked and in good repair. 

Equipment cover, or engineering cover, will cover inspection and repair of equipment such as weights equipment, treadmills, and bikes  which are key to running your business.

Public liability

Public liability insurance is crucial in a high risk business such as the gym and fitness industry. The risk of personal injury is high both due to a gym environment with so much equipment and potential for injury, and also due to the physically intense nature of the activities carried out.

Public liability will protect you and your business if a member of the public is injured or has their property damaged while in your gym or in the course of you carrying out your business such as personal training or as a fitness instructor.

Public liability cover offers you financial protection in the event that you or your business are found to be liable for causing an injury or property damage to another person and the level of cover should be sufficient to cover any award of compensation made.

Employers liability

Employers liability offers your business protection should an employee be injured or have their property damaged during the course of their work at your business. 

As an employer you are responsible for the health and safety of your employees, and you may be found to be legally liable and responsible for paying compensation to that employee in the event of a claim.

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Professional indemnity insurance

As a professional, whether you are a personal trainer, strength and conditioning specialist, or a yoga or fitness instructor, you have a duty of care to your clients.

This means that a member of the public should not be injured or suffer a loss due to your professional activities or advice, or any error, omission, or breach in that advice.

Professional indemnity insurance, or wrongful tuition or medical malpractice insurance, are all forms of insurance cover that protect you should you be found to be negligent in carrying out your trade or profession. 

Professional indemnity insurance will also protect you if you handle customers’ or clients’ personal data and are found to be in breach of GDPR or confidentiality regulations.

Cyber insurance

If your business operates a website or handles business or customer data  or customers’ personal details, then it could be vulnerable to cyber attack, hacking, or other breach.

Cyber insurance will protect your business in such an event and will also protect your business from any reputational damage which may result.

Personal accident insurance

If you have a gym or fitness business then one of the key assets of that business may be your own health and fitness.

Nobody is immune to illness, injury or accident and if you are unable to work, your business may suffer as a consequence.

Personal accident cover will protect you and your business financially if you are ill, injured, or disabled and unable to work. You may be able to use the personal accident cover in your insurance policy to pay for staff to carry out tasks in order to keep your business running until you are back on your feet.

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Who offers business insurance to professional services in Ireland?

Business insurance for any business is often sold as a commercial combined product with cover tailored to the specific business or industry. Business insurance is provided by the following providers in Ireland:

Zurich - Home Insurance
Allianz - Home Insurance
FBD - Home Insurance
AXA - Home Insurance
Aviva - Home Insurance
AIG - Home Insurance
Liberty - Home Insurance

Provide professional indemnity insurance.

Provide professional indemnity insurance & cyber insurance.

Due to the high risk nature of the gym and fitness industry, you may require a specialist underwriter.

How much is business insurance?

Each gym, fitness and exercise business will be unique and present unique risks in terms of insurance cover. Ideally, an insurance advisor will create a package of insurance types that are most relevant and offer protection against the risks.

Here are some of the factors that influence the premium you will pay for gym insurance or to cover you as an exercise or fitness professional.

The level of cover required for your buildings, gym facilities or equipment and assets will affect the price you pay for gym insurance. 

A potential insurer will ask you about the annual turnover of your business, partly to determine the level of business interruption cover you will require, should that be needed in your case.

The nature of your business and the activities carried out there will determine the risks it may face. You may be a 

  • Small standalone gym 
  • Gym chain with multiple businesses in various locations 
  • Fitness or exercise trainer who does not have your own premises
  • Running exercise classes or train groups or individuals 
  • You may require cover for a swimming pool, ice bath, sauna, or steam room
  • You may have specialised equipment eg. spinning bikes or a weights room

All of these businesses require different types and levels of cover and the premium they pay will reflect this.

Sports, gym, and exercise qualifications and professional development are increasingly being recognised and valued. 

Holding a professional, recognised qualification and membership of a professional body such as the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPS), or the Irish Sport and Exercise Science Association (ISESA) may become a requirement and determine the premium you pay for professional indemnity and gym or fitness insurance.

The type and location of your premises will determine the premium you pay for gym insurance. 

Whether you require buildings and/ or contents insurance, as well as the facilities that you wish to insure and the activities carried out there will all affect how much you pay for insurance. Safety measures around maintenance, cleanliness, fire safety and building security will also affect the premium you pay for gym insurance.

Unfortunately, as with all forms of insurance, previous claims will mean that you pay more for gym insurance.

Due to the high risk nature of gyms and fitness centres, the occurrence of personal injury and accidents is high, even with safety measures in place. Claims are all too frequent and can make it challenging to find insurance cover for gyms, fitness centres, and exercise professionals.

Working with an experienced insurance advisor can help you to find appropriate insurance cover for your gym, exercise, or fitness business.

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Our experienced insurance advisers can help you to find the best and most comprehensive insurance cover for your gym, fitness, or exercise business. 

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We can assess your insurance requirements and find you appropriate and competitively priced insurance cover for the risks faced by your business today so that your hard work is not undermined by an unforeseen event.

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