IHRSA Launches Active & Safe Commitment for Health Clubs

IHRSA has launched the Active & Safe Commitment, an initiative to reaffirm the health club industry’s unyielding dedication to safety at this time when exercise has never been more important to global health.

Developed by industry experts in accordance with the foremost public health guidance, the Active & Safe Commitment serves three main purposes:

1. To demonstrate the industry’s united commitment to safety for members, guests, and staff;
2. To provide health club members and guests with well-founded peace of mind during club visits; and
3. To reassure policymakers and public health officials that health clubs should not be shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, but rather should be relied upon as safe environments for exercise that can serve as responsible, credible, and effective partners for reducing the pandemic’s catastrophic toll on physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
   

“The pandemic has upended how health and fitness clubs operate and magnified the necessity to provide a clean and safe space for members,” said Brent Darden, interim president and CEO of IHRSA. “The Active & Safe Commitment is an opportunity for clubs around the world to publicly verify the immense value they place on the health and wellness of not only their members and staff, but all those who enter the facility.”

The IHRSA Active & Safe Commitment is free for IHRSA members. Non-members can make the Commitment for $50 for one club and $10 for each additional club through December 18. After that date, the non-member price will increase to $100 for one club and $10 for each additional club.

‘A No-brainer for Any Club’

IHRSA members are already climbing on board to sign the Active & Safe Commitment and urge other health and fitness clubs to do the same.

“As an industry that primarily exists to advance physical activity and keep people healthy, the Active & Safe Commitment is a no-brainer for any club,” says Luke Carlson, CEO and founder of Discover Strength. “Health and fitness clubs have invested money—and time—in cleaning supplies, disinfecting equipment, better ventilation systems, and so much more, so that their facility is up to code on safety guidelines and cleaning protocols. The Active & Safe Commitment is one way to shout to your members and community how safe your club is and how much their safety means to you.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened a physical and mental health crisis facing people around the world,” says Chuck Runyon, co-founder and CEO of Self Esteem Brands, the parent company of Anytime Fitness, Basecamp Fitness, and The Bar Method. “We endorse IHRSA’s Active & Safe Commitment as the latest measure to send a clear message to our members, employees and government leaders that gyms, clubs and studios are safe and ready to help people fight COVID-19 risk factors—diabetes, depression, obesity, hypertension, heart disease, and more—with exercise.”

What It Means to Join

Signing the commitment means that a health club operator publicly pledges to follow industry best practices in four operational categories:

1. Physical distancing/mitigation measures;
2. Employee/member safety protocols;
3. Cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting; and
4. Contact tracing.

Sign the Active & Safe Commitment and learn more about the initiative. Email membership@ihrsa.org for questions or comments regarding the Active & Safe Commitment.

Once signed on to the Active & Safe Commitment, clubs will receive a certificate along with different versions of the logo, infographics, and a press release email template to send to members. In addition, clubs will have access to a range of resources from IHRSA, including the key considerations and risk assessment webinar with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other tools to help clubs stay open or reopen.