WATCH ABOVE: In the wake of the untimely death of Silicon Valley executive, David Goldberg, some questions are being raised about the safety of exercise equipment, especially treadmills.
The untimely death of SurveyMonkey CEO David Goldberg after a treadmill accident in Mexico has raised new concerns about the safety of exercise equipment.
Goldberg died suddenly at the age of 47 from severe head trauma after being found lying next to a treadmill on Friday at the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita near Puerto Vallarta, a Mexican state official said Monday.
On Tuesday, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg opened up about the sudden death of her husband in an emotional Facebook post.
“I met Dave nearly 20 years ago when I first moved to LA. He became my best friend. He showed me the internet for the first time,” Sandberg wrote, thanking friends and family for the “outpouring of love” in the days since her husband’s death.
“We had 11 truly joyful years of the deepest love, happiest marriage, and truest partnership that I could imagine… He gave me the experience of being deeply understood, truly supported and completely and utterly loved – and I will carry that with me always.”
The 47-year-old worked for a number of tech companies throughout his career including Yahoo. He joined SurveyMonkey in 2009.
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In 2014, more than 24,000 injuries associated with treadmills were reported in U.S. hospital emergency rooms, with similar numbers reported in 2012 and 2013, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
The CPSC also said there have been 30 reported deaths associated with treadmills in the U.S. for the ten-year period from 2003-2012, for an average of about three deaths per year.
The total for all injuries seen in U.S. emergency rooms classified as exercise-equipment-related in 2014 was 62,700, and the CPSC said treadmills had the highest reported injuries by far, even when compared to swimming pool or trampoline accidents.
READ MORE: SurveyMonkey CEO Dave Goldberg dies at 47
Although there are no statistics related specifically to treadmill deaths and injuries readily available in Canada, the Ontario Coroner’s Office said there were 13 “gymnasium/health club” or “jogging/running”-related deaths in the province in 2013, 10 in 2012 and 13 in 2011.
Sean Upton, a spokesman for Health Canada said the agency has received no reports of deaths from treadmills, but there is no obligation for Canadians to report these types of deaths to Health Canada and they wouldn’t necessarily think to do so.
He added that the agency has received a total of just five reports of injuries related to the exercise machines, but said deaths from treadmill accidents can also be lumped in with other statistics such as head injuries or cardiac arrest, which can lead to numbers being diluted.
“I don’t think our reporting is quite as extensive as in the U.S.,” said ER physician Dr. Brett Belchetz of the Rouge Valley Health System in Toronto.
“Anything in a gym can hurt you. So the question is, is this the most dangerous thing in a gym? Probably not. There are a huge number of gym injuries in total, so just like using weights or anything else, I think the message is it has to be done safely.”
Statistics Canada does not track treadmill-related deaths and injuries, but data from 2009-2010 shows that Canadian teenagers are at the highest risk of sports- and exercise-related injuries.
Of Canadians aged 12 to 19 years old who were seriously injured that year, 66.1 per cent of them were hurt while exercising or playing sports, compared to 29.3 per cent aged 20 to 64.
One-on-one communication and education is the best way to ensure equipment safety in gyms, according to a spokeswoman for GoodLife Fitness. Making sure you know exactly what dangers a machine can pose is essential, she said.
“Our employees are trained on proper equipment usage and safety,” GoodLife Fitness Executive Director of Member Services Tracy Matthews said. “A part of their role is to educate and inform members on an ongoing basis about proper equipment usage.”
Belchetz said treadmill users should be careful with the pace they set, wear appropriate footwear and look directly in front of themselves in order to avoid getting disoriented and falling off when looking at one’s feet or especially at a cell phone.
Some treadmills are equipped with heart rate monitors or safety clips designed to stop the machine when the user falls off, but Belchetz said they are under-utilized.
“The vast majority of people don’t use them,” he says. “Most people just don’t use them since they’re very uncomfortable to have on while you’re running.”
He said new technologies such as non-power treadmills that are powered by a user’s running momentum and don’t have a motor driving a belt at a given speed can be a safer alternative due to the fact that they slow down with the runner.
“A lot of people don’t wear it because they find it to be a nuisance … but the value in safety is incredibly important and very worthwhile.”
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