Fitness Center Requirements and Recommendations
Penn State Environmental Health and Safety

The following requirements and recommendations have been established by Penn State Environmental Health and Safety for fitness centers located on Penn State campuses. These guidelines apply to aerobic equipment (e.g. treadmills, Stairmaster, rowing machines, etc.) as well as free weights. A designated person who is familiar with the fitness equipment should oversee the Fitness Center and ensure that proper training and oversight of the operation is provided.

A. REQUIREMENTS

1. Fitness Center Attendant- Fitness centers must have an attendant on duty and located physically in the Fitness Center at all times that it is open for use. The attendant does not need to be an instructor or trainer but must be capable of notifying emergency response personnel in the event of an emergency and must be trained in how to respond to an emergency. When an attendant is not present, the Fitness Center should be closed and locked.
2. Phone Available- A phone must be available in or near the Fitness Center for use by the attendant in the event that emergency response personnel must be contacted. Directions should be posted by the phone on how to contact local emergency services and the phone number.
3. Inspection of Fitness Center Equipment- A designated person who is familiar with the equipment must perform a daily inspection of the Fitness Center equipment at the start of each day. Equipment should be inspected for worn and frayed cables, wiring, walking surfaces, loose bolts, etc. Equipment manuals should be reviewed to determine proper inspection procedures. Damaged equipment should be tagged "Do Not Use" along with the name of the person taking the equipment out of service and the date the equipment is taken out of service. When equipment is taken out of service, the attendant should notify the appropriate individual/ department that repair is needed. A log sheet should be signed each day verifying that equipment has been inspected and noting equipment that has been taken out of service.
4. Access to Fitness Center- Users of the Fitness Center must sign in with the attendant during each visit indicating the name, date and time of entering and leaving the Fitness Center. The Fitness Center can be made available to the Penn State Community (e.g. Penn State students, faculty, staff, retirees, and alumni) at each location. Users of the Fitness Center should be at least 18 years of age or a Penn State student.
5. Fitness Center Facilities
1. Ventilation- Active ventilation must be provided in fitness centers to exhaust stale air out of the area and provide fresh air into the fitness center area.
2. Water- Water should be available within reasonable proximity of the Fitness Center.
3. Layout- Layout of fitness center facilities and equipment should provide sufficient spacing to ensure that all equipment can be used safely at all stations.

B. RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Fitness Center Facilities
1. Flooring- Hard surface flooring/rubber matting is preferred over carpeting to allow ease of cleaning.
2. Fitness Center Use Guidelines- Each Fitness Center should develop guidelines for facility use. For example, if others are waiting to use fitness center equipment, there should be a time limit established at each station (e.g. 20 minutes) to allow everyone reasonable access to the equipment. When using free weights a spotter is recommended.

An example of Fitness Center Guidelines is available at:

https://fitnessmembership.psu.edu/agreement.htm