Quick answer: Sewing Machinists are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #275 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 40.6/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are lack of control.
Sewing Machinists 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 demands23.2 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden36.4 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands51.6 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control46.4 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony57.4 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment29 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for sewing machinists
Compared with the average Australian occupation, sewing machinists score furthest above the norm on lack of control (46.4 vs 24.5 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 74.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for responsibility burden (36.4 vs 60), emotional demands (23.2 vs 37.9) and precision and monotony (57.4 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 sewing machinists
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
74.5/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Pace and demands
Time Pressure
69/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 3Physical environment
Physical Proximity
62.2/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 4Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
56.5/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
- 5Pace and demands
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment
50.8/100
All-occupation average: 23.1
All 22 stress factors for sewing machinists
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
23.2 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People1.8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People41.5 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations26.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
36.4 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results40.8 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety36.8 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results49 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error22.2 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others33 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
51.6 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure69 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week56.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment50.8 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making42 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition39.8 vs 52.4
Lack of control
46.4 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions50 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work42.8 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
57.4 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks40.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate74.5 vs 78.6
Physical environment
29 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable43.2 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting19 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures20.5 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections0 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity62.2 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for sewing machinists map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Autonomy →The degree of control workers have over how they do their work.
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
Sewing Machinists: how stressful is the job?
Sewing Machinists rank #275 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 40.6/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 13.2% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for sewing machinists?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (74.5/100), time pressure (69/100) and physical proximity (62.2/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in lack of control.
Which stress factors are lower for sewing machinists?
Sewing Machinists score below the national average for emotional demands (23.2 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (36.4 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (51.6 vs 56 average) and precision and monotony (57.4 vs 67.7 average) and physical environment (29 vs 38.2 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 sewing machinists. 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.