reporting "techs" that give bad advice?

t.tewks09

New member
Over the years, I've had some of my own bad experiences and have heard many more stories. Just heard one today again, which provoked this post. Is there any kind of accountability system for technicians or any way the public can report a "tech" that is giving out dangerous advice? I've experienced it in person (sent my child's great grandparents to a carseat check, the "tech" told them my then 18 month old was too old/big to rear face and turned his seat FFing), online (on a facebook group in which I was hounded for giving out ERF advice, the very same information that I've learned and gotten from this lovely forum), have had to correct someone that claimed to be a "tech" giving out old, incorrect information (she later admitted she was not current with certification, but still using the label), and heard several stories now from other people that were told inaccurate and downright dangerous information. Today it is someone on facebook posting a picture of the seat they were given by the health department in which the child CLEARLY does not fit (too tall), but the person said it was okay to use.

The "tech" I had a personal experience with can be searched and found on NHTSA website. If she's "recognized" or certified? I'm wondering if she also is held accountable to being current? I know there are probably a lot of outdated "techs" that took the class just once, didn't take it seriously and keep on doing checks (such as at police stations, fire stations, etc) without re-certifying themselves. But the "techs" at the local health departments host and advertise carseat checks, and I'm very seriously concerned that I am likely not the only person they have given incorrect information to.

Thank you in advance for any help or advice. :)
 
ADS

Baylor

New member
An 18 month ff is not what the NHTSA recommends but it is legal. So if the techs are working in the law I can not see how you can report them.

I have found that not all techs work with best practice.

auto correct hates me
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
An 18 month ff is not what the NHTSA recommends but it is legal. So if the techs are working in the law I can not see how you can report them.

I have found that not all techs work with best practice.

auto correct hates me

It's not up to the tech to decide what to do, though. If the parent/caregiver wants to rear-face and the child is within the height/weight guidelines of the seat, the tech should help them. It's not the technician's job to decide how the child will ride, and dictating such a thing WOULD violate guidelines.

Any tech searchable on the NHTSA database is current. There are also current techs not listed in the database. Certifications are good for two years, then every two years they have to go through a certification process.

If you have a problem with a technician, the best thing to do, in my opinion, is to find out who their local SafeKids chapter/coalition leader is and discuss with them. If they're not part of a SafeKids organization (you might not know, depending on the circumstance), I would contact the national SafeKids.
 

t.tewks09

New member
An 18 month ff is not what the NHTSA recommends but it is legal. So if the techs are working in the law I can not see how you can report them.

I have found that not all techs work with best practice.

auto correct hates me
The problem here is that the tech gave out blatantly false information. She stated he was too big/too old to rear face. That is FALSE. She told my husband's grandparents that I had the seat installed wrong because it was rear facing instead of forward facing, and it was a forward facing seat for kids 1 year and older (Cosco Scenera, so again, that was FALSE.)

Looking forward to more replies and perhaps some insight on who to contact to report things like these to?
 

creideamh

Well-known member
For best practice issues (FF vs ERF, for instance), I'd also bring that up with whomever is in charge. FF a properly sized 18mo is not illegal and is not "wrong"; it just simply isn't best practice. The person running the organisation hopefully would be open to giving an update class or similar (that's what our county does.)

Techs instructing things like always use LATCH and seatbelt together...that's a big deal (SK county head took care of it.)

People claiming to be techs when they aren't drives me INSANE. I honestly don't know what to do about that, except to have everyone check credentials. I don't think there's an "impersonating a CPST" punishment.

ETA- ah. She didn't read the manual, eh? That actually happens more than I'd care to admit at our community seat checks, which is why all CPST seats are also senior-checked.
 

~*Jen*~

New member
Great topic.

On that note, it reminded me of my daughter's 2yr checkup last year. They wanted to know if she was still harnessed. Duh. She's still RF. The little 1st year resident got all snooty and told me to turn her forward immediately because my daugher "wasn't any safer rear-facing." I mean, she seemed panicked that my daugher was still rear-facing. :thumbsdown:

What really stuck out in my mind was that my daughter was said to be in the 75th percentile at a hair over 34". Which means many many kids that age were shorter than the 34" minimum required to have kids FF in Dorel seats. That really bothered me because most people probably would flip their kids without thinking twice because it's what the doctor said and possibly put them in violation of our state's proper use clause. I ended up reporting her for it. I don't know that it did much good but I felt like I had to because they need to understand that blanket statements like "ZOMG, you've gotta flip your kid because she's this age" are not acceptable. Especially when it can potentially break the law.

And there seems to be no accountability. Of course, it's a little different because I'm talking about a doctor instead of a tech but it still bothers me.
 

Baylor

New member
Okay, Reading it bigger I get what you are saying.. Not that she installed the seat ff for an 18 month old but said it HAD to be that way..

What I am curious about is, Are all tech courses the same? Or is it up to the instructor to stress best practice vs what is legal?
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
The curriculum is the same. What instructors emphasize or how they treat "grey areas" tends to vary widely.

There are a lot of techs doing scary things out there and sadly most parents never find out. (Like, installing seats flat out WRONG. I've had several of them come to me immediately afterward because they are not comfortable with what the "tech at such and such" did with their seats.)

There are even Instructors teaching blatantly wrong information.

Sadly, while we can talk to the people running a station if their tech is giving out bad info, there doesn't seem to be a good recourse for people who persistently give out bad info or Instructors giving out factually incorrect info or info that goes against the curriculum. State and National organizations don't seem to want to hear it or do anything about it, in my experience.
 

Baylor

New member
The curriculum is the same. What instructors emphasize or how they treat "grey areas" tends to vary widely.

There are a lot of techs doing scary things out there and sadly most parents never find out. (Like, installing seats flat out WRONG. I've had several of them come to me immediately afterward because they are not comfortable with what the "tech at such and such" did with their seats.)

There are even Instructors teaching blatantly wrong information.

Sadly, while we can talk to the people running a station if their tech is giving out bad info, there doesn't seem to be a good recourse for people who persistently give out bad info or Instructors giving out factually incorrect info or info that goes against the curriculum. State and National organizations don't seem to want to hear it or do anything about it, in my experience.

That is scary... and a shame.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
For the health department, call the health department and talk to the people in charge of the nurse. The information on when the seat is outgrown is clearly in the manual, and a tech is taught to RTFM. Plus, shoulders over the top slots is basic basic stuff.

If it was someone like me, a rogue tech out there doing this on their own, unless I was doing a check with an organization it'd be very hard to contact anyone about me. *I* personally put my tech number on my check forms so people CAN find me more easily if they have an issue, and my forms are from 800bucklup.org and have the WA State Safety Coalition on them. I could be found through them. I'm listed, I'm listed on Safe Kids. Someone would get back to me and say, "We hear that you're telling parents X and it's not right." Granted, I'd have ten or twelve techs here telling me that first, but even I can be found though I don't work for anyone.

For those who are literally on their own and don't know anyone, don't do paperwork, the friend of a friend who is a "tech" and says to turn kids forward when they start to talk, nada. There's not thing one that can be done.

But generally when we tell people to report a tech it's a tech at a fire/police station or fitting station. Somewhere where ideally there is a person higher up who can say, "We got a complaint that the seat you gave someone was outgrown and you said it was ok. What does the manual say? Well, there it is, clear as day. Don't forget to read the manual. Are you up to date on your certification? No? What needs to happen to fix that?" If it's a friend of a friend while we'd love to shut off their "advice" there's not much we can do.

Wendy
 

hope41more

New member
Great topic.

On that note, it reminded me of my daughter's 2yr checkup last year. They wanted to know if she was still harnessed. Duh. She's still RF. The little 1st year resident got all snooty and told me to turn her forward immediately because my daugher "wasn't any safer rear-facing." I mean, she seemed panicked that my daugher was still rear-facing. :thumbsdown:

What really stuck out in my mind was that my daughter was said to be in the 75th percentile at a hair over 34". Which means many many kids that age were shorter than the 34" minimum required to have kids FF in Dorel seats. That really bothered me because most people probably would flip their kids without thinking twice because it's what the doctor said and possibly put them in violation of our state's proper use clause. I ended up reporting her for it. I don't know that it did much good but I felt like I had to because they need to understand that blanket statements like "ZOMG, you've gotta flip your kid because she's this age" are not acceptable. Especially when it can potentially break the law.

And there seems to be no accountability. Of course, it's a little different because I'm talking about a doctor instead of a tech but it still bothers me.

Yup. My ped told me to ff DS immediately at 18 mos. we did for a week, I researched, and I put him rf until he's 5 :D
 

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