Quick answer: Painting Trades Workers are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #159 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 47.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are lack of control and physical environment.
Painting Trades 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 demands20.1 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden63.1 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands56.2 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control42.4 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony51.8 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment49.5 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for painting trades workers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, painting trades workers score furthest above the norm on lack of control (42.4 vs 24.5 average), physical environment (49.5 vs 38.2 average) and responsibility burden (63.1 vs 60 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 72.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for emotional demands (20.1 vs 37.9) and precision and monotony (51.8 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 painting trades workers
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
72.5/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Pace and demands
Time Pressure
71.5/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 3Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
71.2/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
- 4Physical environment
Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable
69.8/100
All-occupation average: 52.3
- 5Responsibility burden
Responsibility for Outcomes and Results
68.5/100
All-occupation average: 58.5
All 22 stress factors for painting trades workers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
20.1 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People3.8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People27.8 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations28.8 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
63.1 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results68.5 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety71.2 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results65.8 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error41.5 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others68.5 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
56.2 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure71.5 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week48.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment39.5 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making62.8 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition58.8 vs 52.4
Lack of control
42.4 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions37.2 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work47.5 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
51.8 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks31 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate72.5 vs 78.6
Physical environment
49.5 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable69.8 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting59.5 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures50.8 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections3.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity63.8 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for painting trades 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:
- 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.
- Schedule and Hours →The arrangement of working time and its effect on health and recovery.
- Autonomy →The degree of control workers have over how they do their work.
- 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
Painting Trades Workers: how stressful is the job?
Painting Trades Workers rank #159 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 47.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 49.8% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for painting trades workers?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (72.5/100), time pressure (71.5/100) and responsible for others' health and safety (71.2/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for painting trades workers?
Painting Trades Workers score below the national average for emotional demands (20.1 vs 37.9 average) and precision and monotony (51.8 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 painting trades 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.