RE: NSF Draft Standard 341

As an owner a couple of small fitness centers, I
STRONGLY object to the proposed standards. The proposed standards would put an unnecessary burden on my staff and management.

Also, as a key club facility that is open 24/7, these standards would be unattainable for us without significant increase to our cost that would endanger our profitability. I believe the standards are unreasonably burdensome and unnecessary.

Among other things, they would impose unrealistic and costly staffing requirements on partially-staffed clubs like mine.

Lastly, these unnecessary standards will make it harder for the smaller clubs like mine to compete.

Respectfully,
John Fink

Mr. Fink,

Thank you for your ballot and comment on NSF 341 Health/Fitness Facilities.

This is a voluntary standard; therefore, it is not necessary to conform. The Joint Committee approved a motion that a preamble be added to the document to explain that the purpose of the standard – certification process, it does not set an industry standard for care and emphasize personal responsibility.

A thorough discussion of Section ‘1.3.14 staffed’ occurred at the August 2009 Joint Committee Meeting. An excerpt from the meeting summary appears below:

1.3.14 staffed

Should the standard include clubs are not staffed 100% of the time? The general opinion was that either a facility is staffed or it is not during operation hours. T. Richards read an e-mail from a partially monitored club. This club believes they can meet the requirements of the proposed Standard and are safe. This club believes they should not be excluded. Is there an equivalency for these clubs to meet? In the past couple of years there has been an interesting shift in the market to have clubs that are partially monitored.

Safety of club patrons and employees should be a clubs priority. If it a club is not manned, how can it provide safety to its patrons? Safe is going beyond the AED. It is not a matter of if someone will be harmed in an unmanned club but when will it happen. How can a person be responded to in 3 minutes or less in a club that is not monitored? Do you limit your patrons during those hours to only low risk patrons? Certification will help comfort the consumer. T. Richards indicated the club that e-mailed him had 3 incidents and all of them were responded to within 3 minutes. Large clubs have controls in place for safety. However, large fitness clubs have franchises that are not all run the same. IHRSA finds this issue compelling but has not made a final statement

The definition should not use a percentage or numbers of hours when defining staffed. Minimum wage is not ok for 80% of the time. Staffed full time by whom? If the JC allows this exception, a new exception would need to be made for each unique club.

This initiative is to dovetail with the ‘Exercise with Medicine’. Would a physician recommend a facility without staff?

Motion: Remove the terms ‘at least 67% of’ from the term ‘staffed’. S. Tharrett moved, K. McKay seconded.

Vote: 13 in favor. 2 opposed – T. Richards and D. Cotton

Motion passed.

Please provide a written response via e-mail to Lorna Badman, Joint Committee on Health Fitness Facilities Secretariat, indicating whether your comment has been addressed. Lorna can be reached at badman@nsf.org. If a response is not received by May 10, 2010, NSF will consider your comment addressed.

Thank you again for your thorough review

Walter R. Thompson