NOTE:  The advertised online survey closed at 4pm EDT on April 3, 2006.  An overview of the results will be presented at "The New ACSM Standards and Guidelines Manual Updates" session at the ACSM Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition to be held April 11-14 in Orlando, Florida. 

View Planned Health/Fitness Facility Standards

The fitness and health club industry has always been a very entrepreneurial industry. This entrepreneurial spirit is one reason the industry has achieved the level of public acceptance it has today. One of the results of a growing industry is that its business practices come under greater scrutiny from government and related public audiences (e.g. associations and public advocacy groups, etc.). This is the case currently with the fitness and health club industry. Our industry has evolved, entered new markets and, is serving populations that previously would not have been members of fitness and health club facilities. This change in the market demographics has played a role in the increasing demand for government oversight in regards to health and safety related issues (e.g. automated external defibrillators, licensing and/or registration of personal trainers, etc.).

Standards and guidelines that are developed well, executed well and, governed well by an industry, reduce the need for government oversight. Public policy leaders have shared with business leaders the importance of self-regulation through meaningful standards. These public policy leaders have made it clear that when an industry does a good job of self-regulation, it reduces the likelihood that government will step in to provide oversight.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) first released a set of health/fitness facility standards for the industry in 1992. This initial effort to develop and promote a set of standards for the industry was not well received by the industry. This was in due in part to the fact that the industry was not yet ready for self regulation, but also the resulted from a process that did not fully engage the industry. In 1997, ACSM released a second edition of the standards. The second edition represented a marked improvement on the first edition, as it involved more fitness industry leaders in the process, including getting members of the board of the world's largest club trade association, IHRSA, involved. While the second edition represented a more acceptable set of industry standards and guidelines, it still did not have the impact that was hoped, nor were these standards able to lessen the demand for government intervention.

Entering 2004, the fitness and health club industry was receiving mounting pressure from government agencies and other groups to set a higher standard of care for itself, particularly as it applies to issues of health and safety for facility users. Issues such as fitness professional credentialing, public access defibrillation (PAD), and pre-activity screening were being brought to the attention of the industry, the public and government. Much of this attention was caused by the increased availability of fitness facilities serving markets that were composed of individuals with much higher health risks than ever before.

In response to this increased attention regarding health and safety issues ACSM felt it was time to embark on the creation of a third edition of its health/fitness facility standards and guidelines. In 2005 the College put together a distinguished panel of industry experts (see Figure 1 for a list of the editorial board) from the commercial fitness club business, the YMCAs, colleges and universities, and the medical and exercise physiology fields (collectively representing more than 500 years of combined industry experience). This esteemed editorial board began work on writing a new set of health/fitness facility standards that would address the health and safety needs and practices of both the industry and the public at large. This effort was a huge undertaking and was done with the best of intentions. The ultimate goal was to offer the health and fitness industry a set of standards and guidelines that would address these health and safety issues being set forth by various public advocacy groups, by courts rendering decisions in legal cases and, by government. Ultimately, the College and the editorial team believed this most recent version of the standards would provide a means of elevating industry practice as it applied to health and safety issues for users and, concurrently would allow for a sufficient amount of entrepreneurial freedom for clubs.

1. All facilities offering exercise equipment or services must offer a general pre-activity cardiovascular risk screening (e.g. Par-Q) and/or a specific pre-activity screening tool (e.g. health risk appraisal "HRA" or health history questionnaire "HHQ") to all new members and prospective users.
2. All specific pre-activity screening tools (e.g. HRA, HHQ) must be interpreted by qualified staff and the results of the screening must be documented.
3. If a facility becomes aware that a member or user has known cardiovascular, metabolic or pulmonary disease, or two or more major cardiovascular risk factors, or any other major self-disclosed medical concern, that person must be advised to consult with a qualified healthcare provider before beginning a moderate to vigorous physical activity program.
4. All facilities with qualified staff must offer each new member a general orientation to the facility, including identification of resources available for personal assistance with developing a suitable physical activity program and the proper use of any exercise equipment to be used in that program.
5. Facilities must have in place a written system for sharing information with users and employees or independent contractors regarding the handling of potentially hazardous materials, including the handling of bodily fluids by the facility staff in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
6. Facilities must have written policies for emergency response systems and procedures that must be reviewed and rehearsed regularly. These policies must be capable of handling basic first-aid situations and emergency cardiac events.
7. Facilities must have as part of their written emergency response system a public access defibrillation (PAD) program.
8. The fitness and healthcare professionals who have supervisory responsibility for the physical activity programs (supervise and oversee members, users, staff and independent contractors) of the facility must demonstrate the appropriate professional education, certification, or experience.
9. The fitness and healthcare professionals who serve in counseling, instructional, and physical activity supervision roles for the facility must demonstrate the appropriate professional education, certification, or experience.
10. Fitness and healthcare professionals engaged in pre-activity screening, instructing, monitoring, or supervising of physical activity programs for facility members or users must have current automated external defibrillation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (AED and CPR) certification from an organization qualified to provide such certification.
11. Facilities, to the extend required by law, must adhere to the building design standards that relate to the designing, building, expanding, or renovating of space as presented by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
12. Facilities must be in compliance with all federal, state and local building codes.
13. The aquatic and pool facilities must provide proper safety equipment and signage according to state and local codes and regulations.
14. Facilities must have a system in operation that monitors the entry to and usage of the facilities by all individuals, including members and users.
15. Facilities that offer a sauna, steam room, or whirlpool must make sure that these areas are maintained at the proper temperature and that the appropriate warning systems are in place to notify members and users of unwarranted changes in temperature.
16. Facilities that offer members and users access to a pool or whirlpool must make sure that the water in the pool is maintained in accordance with state and local codes.
17. A facility that offers youth services or programs must provide appropriate supervision.
18. Facilities must post the appropriate caution, danger and warning signage in conspicuous locations where existing conditions and situations warrant such signage.
19. Facilities must post the appropriate emergency and safety signage pertaining to fire and related emergency situations, as required by federal, state, and local codes.
20. Facilities must post all required ADA and OSHA signage.
21. All cautionary, danger, and warning signage must have the required signal icon, signal word, signal color, and layout, as specified by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and reflected in the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards for fitness equipment and fitness facility safety signage and labels.

On behalf of ACSM's Health/Fitness Facility Standards and Guidelines, third edition Editorial Board, we want to confirm our desire to make this process of producing a set of well-accepted standards for the fitness and health club industry as inclusive as possible. In this way, our great industry can continue to self-regulate in a manner that promotes the health and safety of consumers and, provides a business environment that allows owners and operators of fitness and health facility businesses the opportunity to maintain the appropriate degree of entrepreneurial freedom.