Table safety: are you doing what you can?

By Brandi Schlossberg

As a successful chiropractor, you want the best for your clients. This must begin with a firm foundation in basic safety. Chiropractic tables are typically large, bulky and can present sincere danger for you, your clients and even staff members, if you aren’t careful. Be mindful of some safety guidelines and grow your business for years to come.

From the beginning

Basic safety starts before you even get your chiropractic table together. If you’ve recently purchased a table, take a moment before you set it up. Consider how your table may influence patient safety. If you already have table, ensure you inspect it regularly. Listen for strange noises while performing a table safety check, for example.

Training

Perform a general table safety overview with office staff or technicians. Manufacturers may have a lot of information to offer in this respect; use product specifications, if necessary. Detail from a technical bulletin or product update may provide invaluable assistance. Remember, a training session is a great way to talk with staff about any potential problems or safety issue they’ve experienced, as well.

Treatment room

When you’re with a client, ensure no unnecessary visitors are in the treatment room. This is especially true with respect to clients with small children. In 2011, an online news source reported a toddler was accidentally crushed while in a chiropractic treatment room. Make sure everyone stays safe; always remain with your client. Obviously, this is the most extreme end of the spectrum when it comes to the importance of safety measures within the chiropractor’s office. However, simply because it is extreme does not mean that it would never happen. Supervise your client’s small children and keep them far away from the chiropractic table.

Of course, chiropractic tables may be dangerous, not only for the chiropractor’s clients and anyone who may attend a session with those clients, but also for the chiropractor and his or her employees. For this reason, the chiropractor and his entire staff must be trained in how to operate and move around the chiropractic table with ease, in order to avoid pinched fingers or toes.