Quick answer: Occupational Therapists are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #203 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 44.9/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are physical environment and emotional demands.
Occupational Therapists 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 demands40.1 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden60.9 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands56.3 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control13.6 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony52.9 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment45.5 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for occupational therapists
Compared with the average Australian occupation, occupational therapists score furthest above the norm on physical environment (45.5 vs 38.2 average), emotional demands (40.1 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (60.9 vs 60 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is physical proximity at 86.2/100 — against an all-occupation average of 61.1.
The occupation scores below the national average for precision and monotony (52.9 vs 67.7) and lack of control (13.6 vs 24.5), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for occupational therapists
- 1Physical environment
Physical Proximity
86.2/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 2Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
84/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 3Physical environment
Exposed to Disease or Infections
79.5/100
All-occupation average: 20.2
- 4Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
78.5/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 5Pace and demands
Time Pressure
73.8/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
All 22 stress factors for occupational therapists
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
40.1 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People27.2 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People48.8 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations44.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
60.9 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results43.2 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety71.5 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results78.5 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error46.5 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others64.8 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
56.3 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure73.8 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week68 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment0 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making84 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition55.8 vs 52.4
Lack of control
13.6 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions14.8 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work12.5 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
52.9 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks42 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate63.8 vs 78.6
Physical environment
45.5 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable35.2 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting15.5 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures11.2 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections79.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity86.2 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for occupational therapists 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
Occupational Therapists: how stressful is the job?
Occupational Therapists rank #203 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 44.9/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 36.0% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for occupational therapists?
The highest-scoring hazards are physical proximity (86.2/100), frequency of decision making (84/100) and exposed to disease or infections (79.5/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for occupational therapists?
Occupational Therapists score below the national average for lack of control (13.6 vs 24.5 average) and precision and monotony (52.9 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 occupational therapists. 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.