Qualitative methods were used to explore the aetiology of occupational stress experienced by on-road ambulance officers. The researcher found that the way in which a service is organised and its officers valued can create and reproduce workplace stressors that are as causative of occupational stress as the often acknowledged occupational specific stressors like night shifts, irregular work hours and witnessing human trauma and tragedy. These stressors thought to be intrinsic to the work of ambulance officers were found to have an organisational dimension.