Safe use of a treadmill

Avoid injury on (or near) exercise equipment

Exercise machines come with inherent risks; they're large and in motion. It takes some effort to keep yourself, your children and grandchildren, and even your pets safe from accidental injury.

We test machines for user safety only. Consider treadmills that received an Excellent in the User Safety category.

But nonusers, in particular young children, are at risk of injury even by a machine that is safe for the user. In fact, hospitals report that a common scenario is a child being injured when a parent using the machine didn't see the child playing behind or underneath it.

Follow safety recommendations

Manufacturers provide detailed safety instructions. Read them carefully and observe them.

Use the safety key

All treadmills have a safety key that clips onto clothing and turns the treadmill off if the runner falls. Failure to use the safety key is a common cause of treadmill-related injuries. The machines can't be started without the key, so keep it out of reach of children when the machine is not in use. Never wrap the safety key's cord around the handle especially when using it—doing so could prevent it from functioning when it's needed. Consider the additional safety features of some machines like the Precor 9.31's lockout password feature.

Keep children away

See to it that young children are kept away from treadmills when adults are using them. Make sure that your machine is unplugged or disabled when it is not in use, and if possible keep it in a room inaccessible to young children. Keep folding machines stored in the folded position.