Quick answer: Car Detailers are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #218 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 44.3/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are physical environment.
Car Detailers stress profile vs the national average
Each occupation is scored across six categories of workplace mental health hazard, built from 22 stress factors identified in SafeWork Australia's occupational hazards data. Higher scores mean greater exposure.
- Emotional demands24.5 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden57.2 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands51.8 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control20.8 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony61.8 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment49.6 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for car detailers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, car detailers score furthest above the norm on physical environment (49.6 vs 38.2 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is time pressure at 80/100 — against an all-occupation average of 71.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for emotional demands (24.5 vs 37.9), precision and monotony (61.8 vs 67.7) and pace and demands (51.8 vs 56), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for car detailers
- 1Pace and demands
Time Pressure
80/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 2Physical environment
Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable
74/100
All-occupation average: 52.3
- 3Physical environment
Very Hot or Cold Temperatures
71.2/100
All-occupation average: 32.4
- 4Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
70.5/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 5Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
66.5/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
All 22 stress factors for car detailers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
24.5 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People5.8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People25 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations42.8 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
57.2 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results62.2 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety66.5 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results58.8 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error51 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others47.5 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
51.8 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure80 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week61.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment23.8 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making53.5 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition40.2 vs 52.4
Lack of control
20.8 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions19 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work22.5 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
61.8 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks53 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate70.5 vs 78.6
Physical environment
49.6 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable74 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting31 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures71.2 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections16 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity55.8 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for car detailers map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Physical Environment →How the physical conditions of work affect psychological wellbeing.
Methodology
Clearhead scored 317 occupations in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) using SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. We kept only the 22 hazard variables relating to mental health — such as conflict exposure, decision-making pressure, and time pressure — and deliberately excluded physical safety risks like working at height.
The 22 variables are grouped into six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment. An occupation's composite score is the equally weighted average of its six category scores. All scores run 0–100, where higher means more stress-inducing.
Two control-related variables are reported by SafeWork with inverted polarity (“freedom to make decisions” and “structured versus unstructured work”). We reverse these and present them as lack of autonomy to make decisions and amount of highly structured work, so that a higher score consistently indicates greater stress exposure.
Hazard exposure describes the average conditions of an occupation, not any individual's experience — everyone has a different tolerance for these challenges, and conditions vary between workplaces.
Frequently asked questions
Car Detailers: how stressful is the job?
Car Detailers rank #218 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 44.3/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 31.2% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for car detailers?
The highest-scoring hazards are time pressure (80/100), sounds and noise levels are distracting or uncomfortable (74/100) and very hot or cold temperatures (71.2/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for car detailers?
Car Detailers score below the national average for emotional demands (24.5 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (57.2 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (51.8 vs 56 average) and lack of control (20.8 vs 24.5 average) and precision and monotony (61.8 vs 67.7 average), which partially offsets the higher-scoring hazards.
Where does this data come from?
Scores are derived from SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. Clearhead filtered the dataset to the 22 mental-health-related hazard variables — excluding physical safety risks — and scored 317 ANZSCO occupations across six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment.
Beyond the average
This is the average hazard exposure for car detailers. Your workforce isn't average.
Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse measures the actual psychosocial risk in your organisation, quarterly — across 18 ISO 45003-aligned work factors.