Avoid injury on (or near) exercise equipment
This article appeared in 
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 these machines for user safety only. Eight treadmills and five ellipticals received excellent ratings in that category.
But nonusers, in particular very young children, might be 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 also 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—doing so could prevent it from functioning when it's needed. In addition, the Precor 9.31 has a lockout password feature. Some elliptical exercisers also have a lockout function. The Octane Fitness Q37e has a control feature that, when activated by a sustained key press, makes it difficult to use the machine. The Precor 5.31 has a hardware lockout, which involves a pin that can be inserted to prevent the pedals from moving.
Keep children away
See to it that young children are kept away from treadmills and elliptical exercisers 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.
