A STAMP analysis of the staff safety management system in residential Aged Care

•A STAMP model was used to examine residential aged care WHS system management.•Residential aged care facility WHS incident reporting/investigation is deficient.•Inadequate resources exist to cope with residents’ challenging behaviours.•Tensions exist between the quality of resident care and staff safety.•Linking WHS management to quality of care accreditation may improve staff safety. Residential aged care facilities are facing increased demand for a high quality of care. High rates of employee injury and illness in these facilities suggest there are issues in the current work health and safety (WHS) management system. This study used a Systems Theoretic Accident Model and Processes (STAMP) model to examine the points of conflict and gaps within the residential aged care WHS management system. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with work health & safety professionals (7), aged care home managers (2), and work health & safety regulator inspectors (3), to validate the STAMP model, identify points of conflict and gaps within the system, and identify potential solutions to improve the effectiveness of WHS management. Participants identified gaps and points of conflict at all levels of the system. The majority of controls and feedback for staff safety were located at the ‘Aged Care Home Management’ level. The application of a STAMP model in private residential aged care services identified a tension between quality of care for residents and safety of staff. Reduction of workplace injuries will require the addressing of conflicts between the competing priorities of staff and residents; linking work health and safety accreditation to quality of care accreditation based funding may provide some incentive to address this important issue.