Massage Therapy: Techniques & Effects

Lesson 11 of 15

Hygiene, Sanitation, and Standard Precautions

Infection prevention is part of every session, regardless of whether illness is apparent. Standard precautions treat blood and specified body fluids as potentially infectious and combine hand hygiene, barriers, cleaning, and safe handling. Follow local rules and product instructions.

Key points

• Wash or sanitize hands at appropriate moments, including before and after client contact and after glove removal.
• Use gloves when contact with blood, non-intact skin, or potentially infectious material is anticipated.
• Clean first when required, then use an appropriate disinfectant for its labeled contact time.
• Keep clean linens separate from used items; launder and store them to prevent recontamination.
• Cover cuts, avoid treatment when ill if policy requires, and dispose of contaminated materials safely.
• Do not reuse single-use items; follow exposure-response procedures after an incident.

Key terms

Standard precautions

Treating all body fluids as potentially infectious.

Hand hygiene

Washing or sanitizing hands before and after every client.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Gloves, masks and similar barriers that protect against germs.

Non-intact skin

Skin with cuts, abrasions or open lesions; a local contraindication.

Disinfection

Using chemicals to kill most germs on surfaces.

Cross-contamination

Spread of germs from one person or surface to another.