Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1078860
CLASSROOM TO CLIENT education Good Housekeeping Steps to Ensure Client Safety Off the Table By Cindy Williams 34 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k m a r c h / a p r i l 2 0 1 9 Let me ask you a few questions. When is the last time you deep-cleaned your office space? Do you routinely wipe down and sanitize equipment, products, and fixtures you might touch during a massage session? When is the last time you checked the bolts, hinges, and cable support system on your massage table? Have you assessed the parking lot, sidewalks, and entryway to your office building to ensure there are no hazardous conditions that might cause your client injury? Keeping our clients safe is our primary responsibility, so let's be sure you are covering all your bases. DISINFECTION ISN'T JUST FOR HOSPITALS You would never touch a client without first washing your hands or have a client lie on a table with dirty linens. Because of the emphasis on, and repetitive practice of, these tasks in school, handwashing and changing linens between clients become automatic actions. Can you say the same about cleaning the equipment and supplies in your room? Their cleanliness is just as important! In order to provide a safe environment with low risk of germ spreading, the following tasks should be routinely performed. Between Clients Wipe down the following with a disinfectant: • Any part of the table the client may have come in contact with, including the face cradle and bolster • Countertops, door handles, and the lubricant container • Tools, such as hot stones, T-bars, percussive devices, or other massage tools used during the session "Do no harm" is a core principle in all health- care professions. The discussion around this part of the Hippocratic oath in the context of massage therapy, however, sometimes focuses more on the application of hands-on technique and less on the precautions that need to be taken before the client gets on the table.