Department and Center News Movement Sciences

Association Certified Playground Safety Inspector certification to help reduce and avoid injuries. Inspectors are trained to identify hazards on public playground equipment and the playground, rank the hazards and apply the knowledge to remove the hazards and create a system of inspection maintenance.

Agencies spend a lot of money replacing old and worn out or dangerous playground equipment with ones considered safe.”

However, he wondered if the effort and funding that goes into being a certified inspector was helping keep playgrounds safe. After talking to College of Education sport psychology professor Damon Burton, he realized how much research it would require, and he decided to work on his doctorate.

After compiling the data from research in California, he deduced that the certification does help improve children’s safety in playgrounds.

He hypothesized that a decrease in injuries will occur when certified playground instructors are hired, the playground safety inspector’s belief in the system will influence injuries rates and the value supervisors place on the certification program will affect injury rates.

“His research promises to have an excellent chance to influence policy in Idaho and nationally,” Burton said.

Curtis’ research also helped him earn the 2012 Idaho Recreation and Parks Association Professional Award.

“I was very impressed by his research,” said Eric Newell the city’s recreation supervisor who received his master’s from U-Idaho in 2007 and nominated Curtis for the award.

While Curtis will continue to promote his research, he plans on getting back to other outdoor-related activities and return to his hobby of taxidermy.

“Working on a doctorate while having a full-time job is all-consuming,” he said.

But for now, he is looking forward to catching a steelhead.