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Occupational Stress Research

Other Factory Process Workers: how stressful is the job?

Ranked #162 of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 47/100. The biggest exposure is pace and demands.

Composite stress score

47/100

National average: 47.4

Rank (most stressful)

#162 of 317

Australian ANZSCO occupations

More stress-exposed than

48.9% of occupations

By composite stress score

Quick answer: Other Factory Process Workers are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #162 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 47/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are lack of control and pace and demands.

Other Factory Process 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 demands22 vs 37.9 avg
Responsibility burden51.8 vs 60 avg
Pace and demands64.6 vs 56 avg
Lack of control36.5 vs 24.5 avg
Precision and monotony63.6 vs 67.7 avg
Physical environment43.5 vs 38.2 avg

Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.

What drives the score for other factory process workers

Compared with the average Australian occupation, other factory process workers score furthest above the norm on lack of control (36.5 vs 24.5 average), pace and demands (64.6 vs 56 average) and physical environment (43.5 vs 38.2 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is sounds and noise levels are distracting or uncomfortable at 79.2/100 — against an all-occupation average of 52.3.

The occupation scores below the national average for emotional demands (22 vs 37.9), responsibility burden (51.8 vs 60) and precision and monotony (63.6 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 other factory process workers

  1. 1Physical environment

    Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable

    79.2/100

    All-occupation average: 52.3

  2. 2Pace and demands

    Time Pressure

    77.2/100

    All-occupation average: 71.6

  3. 3Precision and monotony

    Importance of Being Exact or Accurate

    72/100

    All-occupation average: 78.6

  4. 4Pace and demands

    Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment

    71.8/100

    All-occupation average: 23.1

  5. 5Pace and demands

    Duration of Typical Work Week

    67/100

    All-occupation average: 62.1

All 22 stress factors for other factory process workers

The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.

Emotional demands

22 vs 37.9 avg
  • Deal With Physically Aggressive People9.8 vs 14
  • Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People27.5 vs 50.4
  • Frequency of Conflict Situations28.8 vs 49.3

Responsibility burden

51.8 vs 60 avg
  • Responsibility for Outcomes and Results47 vs 58.5
  • Responsible for Others' Health and Safety59.5 vs 57.3
  • Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results49.5 vs 70.4
  • Consequence of Error53.2 vs 49
  • Coordinate or Lead Others49.8 vs 64.9

Pace and demands

64.6 vs 56 avg
  • Time Pressure77.2 vs 71.6
  • Duration of Typical Work Week67 vs 62.1
  • Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment71.8 vs 23.1
  • Frequency of Decision Making63 vs 70.7
  • Level of Competition44 vs 52.4

Lack of control

36.5 vs 24.5 avg
  • Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions32.8 vs 23.6
  • Amount of Highly Structured Work40.2 vs 25.3

Precision and monotony

63.6 vs 67.7 avg
  • Importance of Repeating Same Tasks55.2 vs 56.9
  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate72 vs 78.6

Physical environment

43.5 vs 38.2 avg
  • Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable79.2 vs 52.3
  • Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting29.2 vs 24.9
  • Very Hot or Cold Temperatures54.2 vs 32.4
  • Exposed to Disease or Infections0.5 vs 20.2
  • Physical Proximity54.2 vs 61.1

The elevated stress categories for other factory process 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:

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

Other Factory Process Workers: how stressful is the job?

Other Factory Process Workers rank #162 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 47/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 48.9% of Australian jobs.

What are the biggest mental health stress factors for other factory process workers?

The highest-scoring hazards are sounds and noise levels are distracting or uncomfortable (79.2/100), time pressure (77.2/100) and importance of being exact or accurate (72/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in pace and demands, lack of control and physical environment.

Which stress factors are lower for other factory process workers?

Other Factory Process Workers score below the national average for emotional demands (22 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (51.8 vs 60 average) and precision and monotony (63.6 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 other factory process 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.

Clearhead Psychosocial Risk Pulse Tool

Know your industry's risks. Then measure your own.

Population-level data shows where the hazards concentrate — but psychosocial risk legislation requires you to identify and manage the risks in your own workforce. Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse gives you that evidence, quarterly.

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