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 these machines for user safety only. Four 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. Some elliptical exercisers have a lockout function. The Octane 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 elliptical exercisers when adults are using them. If possible keep your elliptical in a room inaccessible to young children.