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Equipment Malfunctions
Have you ever had equipment malfunctions in front of a client?
The reason I bring this up is... Last night I was about to do a couples massage with another therapist. I set up the 2nd table in our large room, greeted the clients, the 2nd therapist went over the male's intake form. I chatted with my client, who is almost 9 months pregnant and has been seeing me regularly for prenatal sessions. This time she invited her fiance.We led them to the room. We washed our hands, got our cream ready, holsters are on, clients are in the room, getting on their tables.
When we hear a loud crash. We rush to the room and as I am about to knock the male client opens the door in his boxers. The female client is already on her pillows and bolsters, covered on her table (he helped her up there). He says he was about to get on his table, he put the his weight on it a bit and it gave way under him. The legs didn't break, the middle part where it folds away had folded in the opposite direction! The legs were still up, but the middle of the table was touching the floor!
I am SO glad the pregnant client hadn't gotten that table. We apologized profusely and dragged the broken table out, went into another room, got a 3rd table and set it up, testing it just as the 1st ones were. We left the room to let the male client get up on his table and we looked at the broken one. The wood in the middle had split open, exposing nails and splinters. This one, little 2 inch piece of wood was all that was keeping the table from inverting? Lame! The table was only three years old.
Thankfully the client wasn't shaken up, and we laughed about it during and after the massage. (When we went in the room I peeked my head in and said "Everyone alive?")
So any stories about equipment or product malfunction?
The reason I bring this up is... Last night I was about to do a couples massage with another therapist. I set up the 2nd table in our large room, greeted the clients, the 2nd therapist went over the male's intake form. I chatted with my client, who is almost 9 months pregnant and has been seeing me regularly for prenatal sessions. This time she invited her fiance.We led them to the room. We washed our hands, got our cream ready, holsters are on, clients are in the room, getting on their tables.
When we hear a loud crash. We rush to the room and as I am about to knock the male client opens the door in his boxers. The female client is already on her pillows and bolsters, covered on her table (he helped her up there). He says he was about to get on his table, he put the his weight on it a bit and it gave way under him. The legs didn't break, the middle part where it folds away had folded in the opposite direction! The legs were still up, but the middle of the table was touching the floor!
I am SO glad the pregnant client hadn't gotten that table. We apologized profusely and dragged the broken table out, went into another room, got a 3rd table and set it up, testing it just as the 1st ones were. We left the room to let the male client get up on his table and we looked at the broken one. The wood in the middle had split open, exposing nails and splinters. This one, little 2 inch piece of wood was all that was keeping the table from inverting? Lame! The table was only three years old.
Thankfully the client wasn't shaken up, and we laughed about it during and after the massage. (When we went in the room I peeked my head in and said "Everyone alive?")
So any stories about equipment or product malfunction?
Views: 285
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Stephen Jeffrey on
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Hi Crystal so glad it wasn't the obese client you have been getting on so well with !
It does sound like this table has a design fault for it to fail so dramatically. Thank heavens no one injured and no law suit.
Folding tables must be erected and dismantled correctly, I was always very carefull with my own but I can see if it belonged to a clinic it could be rapidly become dangerous if correct errection proceedures were not followed by lazy MTs or other therapists!
My couches are all electric and very solidly built however I did have a weld snap on one, but without the client noticing ( she was 33 stone) so it just goes to show we all need to be on our gaurd for defects.
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Permalink Reply by Robin Byler Thomas on
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Wow, I've had mine 15 years; knock on wood (I'm going to go check it again). No problems and it is portable.
I bought another table, the lightest weight portable available about 10 years ago, for outcalls, that I keep in the trunk of my car. Turns out it was too light. Many elderly will sit on the side of the table as they get on or off, and the table was so light it would tip slightly towards them. I sent it back immediately for a slightly heavier table which has worked fine for the past 5 years or so.
Once, however, I walked into my massage room and the ceiling fan had fallen on the table. No one there at the time but you can bet I always check the fans now too.
Much success Crystal.
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Permalink Reply by Jason Day on
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What brand of table where you using? Certainly not one of the more established ones I hope. I think my Custom Craftworks table is one solidly built table and I can't imagine it folding like you described.
Jason
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Permalink Reply by Crystal Dawn Suovanen on
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All I can remember is that it wasn't a name brand table. It was a three year old table that had been used in massage school classrooms, but was still under warranty. Some sort of signature table by a man who's 1st name starts with R. The owner of the clinic has been in contact with the guy, but the person want to charge $60 to fix a structural problem for his under warranty product. Lame...
Jason Day said:What brand of table where you using? Certainly not one of the more established ones I hope. I think my Custom Craftworks table is one solidly built table and I can't imagine it folding like you described.
Jason
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Personally, I use an Oakworks table. It holds 600 pounds and I haven't had any problems with it. The problem was with the clinic's table.
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Permalink Reply by Kelly Grounds on
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I have had to repair my Pices Dolphin massage chair twice; both times the company serviced it for free, shipping included. But I'll never buy one of those chairs again. There are too many levers that get stripped and need replaced. The first lever that adjusted the face cradle portion broke the first time I used the chair at a (Wellness Fair!) Two years later at the same Wellness Fair, the lever that adjusted the torso length snapped in half with my client in the chair! No one was hurt but it's embarrassing. Next chair I'm ordering will be from good ol' Oak Works.
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Permalink Reply by Nancy Hardesty on
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I have an obese client and I noticed the last time she got on the table it made creaking noises. I am feeling a bit nervous about the portable table I have. I will get a better table after reading this. I think I will have the current table remodeled into a permanent table with 4x4 legs and a center support system.
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Other than at a Chiropractic center I have only been on folding tables. All Reiki classes and shares I have been to use portable tables. I do Reiki at client's homes so need one in the car.
Rick Britton said:defintely worth the investment... stabilty is essential. Have never used a folding table for fear of having an accident
Nancy Hardesty said:I have an obese client and I noticed the last time she got on the table it made creaking noises. I am feeling a bit nervous about the portable table I have. I will get a better table after reading this. I think I will have the current table remodeled into a permanent table with 4x4 legs and a center support system.
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Wow! Thank you so much for posting this, I'll be checking both my portables now because I never thought of this happening. They seem sturdy (both 500# capacity) but are different brands and get folded a lot. Glad to hear the guy is okay, but how long did it take for you to quiver to a stop?!
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