Safety
Clearance is a condition of the machine
14 Oct 2025 · 1 min read
A treadmill too close to a mirror, or a rack too close to a walkway, will be reported as the machine’s fault. Measure it once.
Clearance is not interior design. It is whether a person can get on, fail a lift, or step off without hitting glass, a neighbour, or a walkway. If a layout change eats the space, the machine’s conditions changed. Write it on the zone.
Mirrors with a gap at the bottom, or a crack, are their own asset or a zone fault. A member will describe it as the dumbbell rack. You still need the glass looked at.
When classes overflow
A station that is safe at quiet hours and cramped at 18:00 needs that written down. The fix may be a timetable, not a repair. If you only record “member complained about the rack”, you will keep inspecting a rack that is fine.
Do not store plates in the safety space of a rack and call it temporary for a season. Temporary space-filling becomes the accident.
If you are not sure of the space you need, look up the maker’s layout once and keep that page on the asset. Guessing with a tape on the day of an accident is the wrong time.
Read next
Kit in a children’s area is still equipment
Smaller does not mean informal. A broken hold, a loose bolt, or a torn mat is a fault with a status.
A hot smell is a stop, not a note for later
Hot insulation, a warm plug, or a console that smells sweet and sharp: take the machine off and do not switch it back on to ‘see’.
Accessibility equipment is not a side cupboard
A lift, a ramp, or an adaptive machine that is out of service is a closed door, not a spare.