Quick answer: Upholsterers are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #226 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 44/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are lack of control.
Upholsterers 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 demands30.8 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden49.6 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands55.8 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control39.2 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony56.8 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment32 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for upholsterers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, upholsterers score furthest above the norm on lack of control (39.2 vs 24.5 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 83.2/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for precision and monotony (56.8 vs 67.7), responsibility burden (49.6 vs 60) and emotional demands (30.8 vs 37.9), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for upholsterers
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
83.2/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Pace and demands
Time Pressure
71.5/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 3Pace and demands
Level of Competition
67.8/100
All-occupation average: 52.4
- 4Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
61.5/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 5Physical environment
Physical Proximity
61.5/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
All 22 stress factors for upholsterers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
30.8 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People13.5 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People44.5 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations34.5 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
49.6 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results54.2 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety46 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results61.5 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error32.5 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others53.8 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
55.8 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure71.5 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week52.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment32.5 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making54.5 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition67.8 vs 52.4
Lack of control
39.2 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions44.8 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work33.8 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
56.8 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks30.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate83.2 vs 78.6
Physical environment
32 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable56.2 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting21.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures18.8 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections2.2 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity61.5 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for upholsterers 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
Upholsterers: how stressful is the job?
Upholsterers rank #226 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 44/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 28.7% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for upholsterers?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (83.2/100), time pressure (71.5/100) and level of competition (67.8/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in lack of control.
Which stress factors are lower for upholsterers?
Upholsterers score below the national average for emotional demands (30.8 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (49.6 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (55.8 vs 56 average) and precision and monotony (56.8 vs 67.7 average) and physical environment (32 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 upholsterers. 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.