STOCKPORT, England, Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — More than half (58%) of UK personal trainers and sports coaches don’t carry out a written risk assessment before every session, according to new research from Insure4Sport, part of Ripe.
The survey of 100 UK coaches and PTs, found that only 42% formally assess risk before every session. Of the remaining, 29% do so only occasionally, 15% rely on an informal, unwritten process, 10% carried one out once when they started, and 4% have never done so at all.
Despite this, 95% still say they’re confident they could prove they’d taken reasonable precautions if a serious accident happened during one of their sessions.
Among coaches with no regular risk assessment process at all, 53% said they simply didn’t think it was necessary, compared with 26% who cited a lack of time and 11% who said they wouldn’t know how to.
The research also found that 63% of coaches said they know of an incident, either personally or through someone they know, where they believe a risk assessment might have prevented an accident or helped defend against a compensation claim. 16% said they had experienced such an incident themselves.
One recent Insure4Sport case shows how important risk assessments can be. During a fitness class, a piece of gym equipment was left leaning against a wall instead of being stored away. Later in the session, it was knocked over and fell onto a participant’s foot, causing an injury that took months to heal. The resulting compensation claim ran into tens of thousands of pounds.
Sean Carney, Chief Underwriting Officer at Insure4Sport, commented: “These figures are not a reason to question the standard of coaching in this country. The vast majority of coaches and PTs take their clients’ safety seriously. What is striking, though, is the gap between confidence and documentation. Risk assessments typically take only a few minutes, but can provide useful evidence of the risks considered and precautions taken if an incident occurs. Making risk management part of the routine can help coaches take a more consistent approach to safety.”
What good practice looks like:
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Use a written risk assessment and review it regularly. Rather than a one-off exercise completed when a coach first qualifies, it should be reviewed when circumstances, activities or equipment change.
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Store equipment correctly after use. Seemingly minor issues can create avoidable hazards.
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Provide appropriate supervision in group settings. As class sizes increase, coaches should consider whether the level of supervision remains appropriate.
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Discuss safety openly. Professional coaches should be able to explain how they identify and manage risks within their sessions and how they respond when circumstances change.
Notes to editors
Methodology: Independent survey of 100 UK sports coaches and PTs conducted 8-10 September 2026.
About Insure4Sport:
Insure4Sport is the UK’s leading sports insurance specialist, arranging insurance cover for sports coaches, personal trainers, clubs and instructors.
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