Personal Protective Equipment

A Comprehensive Overview of PPE for Massage Therapists and Bodyworkers 

The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) will be central to moving forward and reopening your massage or bodywork practice when the time comes. These resources give an overview of the types of PPE that you might use in your practice, along with helpful video demonstrations of how to use them properly, and resources for sourcing PPE for your practice.

Please note that there is currently a shortage of PPE, with most supplies being redirected—rightly so—to frontline workers and health assistance staff (nursing homes, home health aides, etc.) who are still operating without the proper supply of equipment they need to work safely. ABMP believes it’s professionally unethical to divert supplies from this delicate supply chain for non-emergency equipment requests at this time. Consider other options for face coverings for you and your clients in the interim.

Video overview:

  • 2:07 Types of PPE
    • 2:20 Gown/Uniform
    • 2:48 Facial Protection
      • 2:59 Cloth Face Coverings
      • 3:33 Face Masks
      • 4:10 Respirators (N95s)
    • 5:31 Eye Protection & Face Shields
    • 5:58 Gloves
  • 6:30 Donning and Doffing PPE
    • 7:01 Donning and Doffing a Face Covering
    • 8:11 Donning and Doffing a Face Mask
    • 8:56 Donning and Doffing a Respirator (N95)
    • 10:32 Donning and Doffing Gloves

ABMP Resources

CDC Resources

 

News

West Virginia Bill Impacts Massage Establishments

Senate Bill 786 impacts massage establishment licensing, emergency suspension orders, and inspections. ABMP details how the bill may affect you and your business in this legislative web post.

Tennessee Increases Minimum Education Hours

On April 16, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed into law House Bill 1610 and Senate Bill 1588, increasing the minimum massage curriculum hours that an applicant for massage licensure must complete at an approved school for massage, bodywork, or somatic therapy to be eligible for licensure under the Massage Licensure Act. Find out the new state minimum requirement.

Alaska Massage Board Remains Independent and Autonomous

Executive Order No. 129 sought to dissolve the Alaska Board of Massage Therapists and transfer its functions to the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED). The executive order was successfully overturned.

Blog

Avoid Pulling Clients' Hair

Massage therapy students practicing in a classroom.

It’s the finer details that matter in a massage therapy session, and unintentional hair pulling is a detail that carries more weight than you might think.

Benefits

Podcast: Cancer, Clots, and COVID—A Complicated Client

A client was recently treated for colon cancer—and it didn’t go well. She had surgical complications, a bout of sepsis, and more. Is massage therapy safe? We discuss on this episode of “I Have a Client Who . . .” Pathology Conversations with Ruth Werner.

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