Risk management in the Australian fitness industry : the results of the first national survey

This paper will set out the findings of the first ever national survey of fitness professionals conducted under the auspices of the AFIRM Project. The Australian Fitness Industry Risk Management Project is a three-year Australian Research Council Linkage Project being conducted in partnership with Sports Medicine Australia and Fitness Australia that will answer two important questions:How does Australian regulation currently control risk management in the fitness industry and thereby prevent adverse health outcomes and injury, and the legal liability associated with those risks?What sustainable changes could be made to Australian regulation for more effective risk management in the health and fitness industry in order to prevent the risk of adverse health outcomes and injury, and the legal liability associated with those risks?Using nominal group technique in focus groups in urban and regional centres in four States, the research team identified key issues and concerns of fitness professionals in a wide variety of categories. This research guided the development of the national survey, and in this paper we will set out the results of this groundbreaking research. The findings will be used to make recommendations for improvements in safety practices and improvements in policy and regulation.