I examined a fitness center which included a cardio area, weight area and locker room. The following are twenty items that pose various degrees of risk to the patrons of the fitness center.

1.)    There were no floor mats when you walked in the entrance doors to the facility.  Mats need to be in place to allow patrons to wipe off their feet from water and/ or dirt so that what is outdoors is not tracked through the facility creating health and safety hazards for its users.

2.)    One of the entrance doors did not work.  All doors, particularly entrance doors should be in proper working function, especially in the case of an emergency.

3.)    One drinking fountain shot water past the drain and on to the floor when turned on.  The fountain needs to be adjusted so that water drains into the drain during use to prevent water from spilling on to the floor and creating a slipping hazard.

4.)    Another drinking fountain was not functional and was actually leaking water from the pipes beneath. The fountain pipes need to be tightened or possibly replaced to prevent mold from forming and prevent slipping hazards.

5.)    Sanitizing bottles were basically empty.  When I went to squirt them only foam came out.  The bottles should be monitored and refilled by staff as often as necessary to create a clean and healthy environment.

6.)    Signs saying the rules of the facility were old, falling down and faded from the sun.  Signs need to be reprinted, properly displayed in possibly a new place to prevent from so much sun exposure. Signs are an important way for patrons to know what the rules of the facilities are so they can be obeyed.

7.)    I could find only one trash can in the main area of the facility.  More trash cans should be put in place around the center to prevent trash from not being thrown away and left to clutter and dirty the area.

8.)    There were loose and broken tiles on the walls and floors of the showers. Tiles need to be replaced to prevent injury from shower users.

9.)     There were some spots of mold along the walls near the showers.  The mold should be removed, and the walls should be leaned weekly to prevent further growth.

10.)   One of the showers had a continuous stream coming from it.  With further inspection I found that when you turned the handle to see if it was turned completely the handle kept turning in a continuous circle.  The handle and possibly the head of the shower need to be replaced.

11.)   In two of the showers, lights did not work. Light bulbs need to be replaced immediately because it is not safe to shower in the dark as the water alone creates ways for slipping and not having the ability to see escalates that issue.

12.)   Some lockers in the locker room had dents in them which caused them to not close correctly which left hard sharp edges of metal sticking out at the corners.  This can be dangerous for anyone passing by in the small area to hit the edges of the lockers sticking out.  The lockers need to be banged out straight or simply replaced.

13.)      One of the benches in the locker rooms had a major crack and slivers popping up in several areas.  The entire board for the bench seat needs to be replaced to prevent anyone from cutting themselves on the slivers or falling through if they sit on the crack and it causes the bench to break as it is already pretty fragile with a large crack.

14.)      Weight racks are not securely fastened to floor. To eliminate the possibility of tipping over, the racks need to be secured to the floor to create a safe environment for users.

15.)      There were no visible fire extinguishers.  After some searching I did find 5, but they were underneath things and not clearly marked. Fire extinguishers should be in clearly marked and in visible areas in case of fire.

16.)      Abs mats had clear dirt marks from repetitive use and never being cleaned.  Mats need to be cleaned after each use by every person to prevent spread of germs and create a clean environment to workout in, staff members should monitor this.

17.)      One of the treadmills did not turn on at all. And it was also not marked as out of service.  To prevent further damage by users trying to get it to work, the treadmill should be marked as out of service and a technician should be called as soon as possible to get it up and running for paying patrons.

18.)      The cable for the leg curl is fraying and exposing sharp metal.  The entire cord should be replaced.

19.)      One treadmill is missing the emergency pull stop cord so if you were to fall, the treadmill would keep going.  The pull cord should be replaced immediately and the treadmill should be marked as out of service until this is completed.

20.)      The dumbbells were old and rusting.  When you used them and they hit each other flecks fell on you.  Equipment should be inspected regularly and replaced as necessary.