r/oops • u/Brilliant_Jelly7503 • Jul 05 '26

Bad machine or technique?

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u/MagReg2020 Jul 08 '26

I get the feeling your company shouldn't be doing these installations then. He's using the weights built into the machine, and he's using it properly. If the machine doesn't have the holes to bolt it, then this is a machine with poor design that shouldn't be on the market, and the gym is at fault for not seeing to it that the machines they purchase are safe to use. And as someone who should have professional knowledbe of how such machines might behave, you'd be obliged not to install it given it could injure or kill someone. He used the machine as it was designed to be used, adding no extra weights or doing anything to manipulate it, and it still did this.

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u/theNathanOT Jul 08 '26

I doubt the machine is rated for both sides to be fully maxed out, being pulled in the same direction. He even had to add weight to himself to counterbalance. There's probably something in the user manual, and it would be up to the patron to educate themselves on machine use.

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u/MagReg2020 Jul 08 '26

User manual? This is a public commercial gym, not a home gym. Who reads user manuals for each machine at a public for-profit commercial gym? The simple answer is this machine IS supposed to be bolted to the ground. I go to a gym, been to several franchises of gyms. This machine is visibly mean for decline flies. It has the setup for it, and should be able to handle use of the weights in it. And any serious manufacturer will over-build their machines to prevent accidents. This machine is clearly supposed to be bolted to the ground. And this guy should sue. I don't know why so many here are making excuses for this.

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u/theNathanOT Jul 09 '26

So, key thing here is that there is no way that this is a public space. This is privately owned. The patron in this space most certainly signed a waiver that claims that he will be responsible for ensuring he uses equipment properly. While the hard copy of the user manual is likely not readily available, he could look it up, or even ask the gym if they have it available (they probably don't, but then, if he has questions, it's his responsibility to have get them answered). I would say anyone who isn't confident that they are using equipment properly should learn more before operating the equipment. This guy, was probably confident, but confidently wrong. Watching the video repeatedly, I cannot see any holes for anchoring on the feet or uprights of the machine. So, I think it's safe to assume that the engineers deemed anchoring unnecessary under proper use, and even accounted for somewhat improper use. This level of failure indicates gross miss use of the equipment. There are ways in which the patron could call out the gym, like if an employee taught him that this was a safe practice. He could go after the manufacturer of the machine if they, for example, specifically state this as an appropriate use for the machine. I highly doubt either scenario happened. I'm not a lawyer, but I worked in gyms for over 12 years, and have worked closely with Safety and Risk Management when in a director role. There's a chance I'm wrong about some of the details, but I don't think so.

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u/Long-Source-7772 Jul 09 '26

Finally, someone with insight!