Banner-A Guide to Implementing Child Passenger Safety Inspection Stations

APPENDIX A

Setting The Stage

Whether the inspection station is held at an indoor or outdoor setting, it is important to remember that safety is the number one priority for staff and participants. And to the extent possible, all CPS inspection station facilities should be accessible to individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Indoor Setting

An indoor setting provides many benefits, especially protection from the weather – rain, snow, sleet, wind, and hot and cold temperatures. However, there are still precautions that must be taken when setting up an indoor CPS inspection station:

Designate where the vehicle(s) will wait in line prior to the inspection. Be sure to have the driver turn the engine off to prevent any accidental acceleration of the car. Have a clearly designated path for the vehicle to follow at the conclusion of the inspection – ideally the vehicles will enter in one side of the facility and exit from the other side to avoid driving in reverse.
Check that there are no safety hazards anywhere in the vicinity.
Make certain the location is safe for families. A designated waiting area should be made available for families with young children while the inspection takes place. Staff or a responsible volunteer should be assigned to the waiting area to insure that no child is lost or injured. If possible, clean, age-appropriate toys in good condition should be made available to occupy young children.
Keep the area as clean as possible.
Bathrooms should be easily accessible to the waiting area. Be sure they are clean and operational before each scheduled inspection event.
Designate an area to keep equipment and a place where unsafe seats can be stored prior to destruction or other appropriate disposal.
If the inspection locations is at a dealership, fire department or auto repair shop, be certain that ALL employees are notified that children will be in the area at various times.
Have clearly written signs set up as appropriate.

Outdoor Setting

An outdoor setting provides unique advantages (usually more space) and disadvantages (i.e. traffic and weather considerations), for the operation of a CPS inspection station. In addition to the above safety considerations, the following precautions should be taken when hosting an outdoor inspection station:

Be sure the inspection area can be set up out of the flow of routine traffic.
Have clear Enter and Exit areas designated by signs and traffic cones.
If there is not an indoor waiting area available, create a clearly defined ‘safe area’ with rope, tape and/or traffic cones.
Be sure to have a traffic coordinator available to direct waiting vehicles safely in and out of the inspection site.
The inspection teams should be set up at well-spaced and clearly marked designations.
Be sure to have sufficient equipment available to staff at each inspection area in order to minimize the amount of foot-traffic around the inspection site.