With an industry worth over £5 billion in the UK alone, the health and fitness sector has grown 20% in the last five years.
Because of the sheer volume of data created and collected, data compliance means that every PT trainer and business owner needs to examine closely how they handle the information they receive.
How to deal with and protect that data is something that all health and fitness business owners and their employees need to be aware of.
Safeguarding
Organisations must be sure about the information their business holds, where this information is located, how up to date it is, if it’s still required and if it’s in digital or paper format.
They also need to know the extent to which employees are accessing this information using their own devices. They can then begin to understand how to safeguard and protect their data.
Specific to the leisure industry are laws relating to ‘personal data’. Identifiers like IP addresses and cookies, for instance considered personal data, which means that a vast amount of data that most operators currently capture as a matter of routine will be subject to specific GDPR stipulations.
Also, under the ‘special category of personal data’ classification, a whole host of genetic and biometric data such, any data used to measure athletic performance and/or health must be taken into consideration.
One of the most important factors will be ensuring valid consent is obtained from the owner of the data. A member specifically asking for performance monitoring is likely to be lawful, but operators should stop and question wholesale monitoring, especially if it’s carried out without the knowledge of club members.
The ‘right to be forgotten’ means that organisations must erase data if a member exercises this right and withdraws consent to the storage or use of their personal data.
iCaaS
That is why we here at iCaaS are working with CIMSPA (The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity) to deliver Data Security & Compliance to the fitness industry.
CIMSPA is the professional development body for the UK’s sport and physical activity sector, committed to supporting, developing and enabling professionals and organisations to succeed and, as a result, inspire our nation to become more active.
CIMSPA helps to nurture talent, develop careers, inspire professionalism and set clear regulatory standards for success, continuing the development of a modern, prosperous and respected sport and physical activity sector.
Specialists
iCaaS is the specialist provider to the sport and health industry, marketing its solution to ensure that the sector has best practice in place for data security, personal data management and legislator compliance.
We work very closely with the fitness industry bodies to ensure this data security & compliance across the sport and physical activity sector and its members.
Whether you are part of a multi-site health club chain, an independent PT studio, or freelance PT, everyone working in the sport and leisure industry needs to be increasingly mindful of the personal data they collect from users, customers and clients, how this data is secured and what this information is used for.
Here at iCaaS, we keep on top of all the legislation and changes to regulations to make sure that organisations are implementing the latest processes and security procedures, ensuring you continue to keep client data safe.
Maintaining your reputation is incredibly important within the industry, especially as people who work in the fitness industry come into contact with a wealth of personal information – some of which could be highly sensitive, and we seek to protect that. This could include: name, address, email, ethnicity, payment/card details and medical information (i.e. height, weight, medical conditions, and disabilities).
Achieving compliance is only the beginning. iCaaS helps you maintain this by keeping up to date with all the changes in legislation as new policies are added and updated, giving you peace of mind that you’re always covered.
To learn more about Data Security & Compliance for the Sport and Physical Activity Sector visit: https://myicaas.com/cimspa/
As a CIMSPA member, sign up to iCaaS by the end of March and you’ll receive your first month’s access for free. Only £5.99/MO
Use code CIM-FEB20 at the checkout.
