Introduction: The proportion of the population aged over 65 years is rising at an unprecedented rate and is predicted to increase from 15 to 25% by 2050 (Chang et al, 2013). Caring for an aging population presents a major challenge particularly as the workforce caring for them are typically over the age of 45 years, and experience high injury rates and staff shortages (Ravenswood et al, 2014). Multifactorial interventions are considered the most effective way of reducing nurses’ exposure to the risk factors present in nursing work (Dawson et al, 2007) however such interventions are complex and difficult to evaluate. TROPHI, a tool comprised of 12 outcome measures has been developed in an attempt to measure the effectiveness of complex interventions implemented in health care (Fray and Hignett, 2013).

Aim: To determine the profile of risk factors associated with moving and handling in a residential care home. Baseline measures will be recorded and areas of high risk identified.

Methods: The study will use the TROPHI tool to collect data about the organisation and will include staffing levels, workload, sickness absence and management systems. Safety culture will be assessed using interview and written questionnaire and a self-report questionnaire administered to employees to collect data about musculoskeletal health and wellbeing. Direct observation will be used to evaluate patient transfers and nursing home residents asked for feedback about their experience of being assisted to move.

Conclusions: Results from this study will inform current risk management practice and highlight where future investment should be targeted. The organisational risk profile will be compared against an international data set which provides contextual interpretation of the findings. The study will inform the methodology and its suitability for assessing health care interventions in the NZ healthcare sector.