Quick answer: Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #135 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 48.4/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are lack of control and responsibility burden.
Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers 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 demands40.9 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden66.2 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands44.6 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control36.4 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony63.9 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment38.6 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for nursing support and personal care workers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, nursing support and personal care workers score furthest above the norm on lack of control (36.4 vs 24.5 average), responsibility burden (66.2 vs 60 average) and emotional demands (40.9 vs 37.9 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is physical proximity at 84/100 — against an all-occupation average of 61.1.
The occupation scores below the national average for pace and demands (44.6 vs 56) and precision and monotony (63.9 vs 67.7), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for nursing support and personal care workers
- 1Physical environment
Physical Proximity
84/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 2Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
82.5/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 3Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
74/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 4Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
69/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
- 5Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
67.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
All 22 stress factors for nursing support and personal care workers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
40.9 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People28.2 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People49 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations45.5 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
66.2 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results57.2 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety64 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results74 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error67 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others69 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
44.6 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure60.8 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week39.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment18.2 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making67.8 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition36.8 vs 52.4
Lack of control
36.4 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions38.2 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work34.5 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
63.9 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks45.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate82.5 vs 78.6
Physical environment
38.6 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable25.2 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting11 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures10 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections63 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity84 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for nursing support and personal care workers map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Exposure to Violence →Whether workers face the risk of physical or verbal aggression at work.
- Exposure to Trauma →Whether workers encounter traumatic events or material as part of their role.
- Work Interaction →The quality of relationships and interactions within the team and organisation.
- Work Demands →The volume, pace, and complexity of what is asked of workers.
- Role Clarity →Whether workers clearly understand what is expected of them.
- Leadership →The quality and consistency of management behaviour at all levels.
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
Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers: how stressful is the job?
Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers rank #135 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 48.4/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 57.4% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for nursing support and personal care workers?
The highest-scoring hazards are physical proximity (84/100), importance of being exact or accurate (82.5/100) and impact of decisions on co-workers or company results (74/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, lack of control and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for nursing support and personal care workers?
Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers score below the national average for pace and demands (44.6 vs 56 average) and precision and monotony (63.9 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 nursing support and personal care workers. 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.