Aged care safety dilemma: caring-for-self versus caring-for-residents.

Aim: To identify aged care specific work health and safety management issues by applying James Reason's safety culture theory to one residential aged care provider in Australia.

Methods: Qualitative, semi-structured interviews with frontline care staff at three residential care facilities - all operated by the same provider - garnered employee perceptions of the safety culture and aged care specific challenges in their work environment. Thematic analysis of participant responses against the premises of James Reason's safety culture theory was undertaken.