Quick answer: Animal Attendants and Trainers are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #139 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 48.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are physical environment and lack of control.
Animal Attendants and Trainers 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 burden58.6 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands40.9 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control32.1 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony58.5 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment58.8 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for animal attendants and trainers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, animal attendants and trainers score furthest above the norm on physical environment (58.8 vs 38.2 average), lack of control (32.1 vs 24.5 average) and emotional demands (40.1 vs 37.9 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is sounds and noise levels are distracting or uncomfortable at 90/100 — against an all-occupation average of 52.3.
The occupation scores below the national average for pace and demands (40.9 vs 56), precision and monotony (58.5 vs 67.7) and responsibility burden (58.6 vs 60), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for animal attendants and trainers
- 1Physical environment
Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable
90/100
All-occupation average: 52.3
- 2Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
79.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 3Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
71.5/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 4Physical environment
Physical Proximity
66.2/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 5Physical environment
Exposed to Disease or Infections
64.2/100
All-occupation average: 20.2
All 22 stress factors for animal attendants and trainers
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 People9.2 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People55.8 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations55.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
58.6 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results49.5 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety55 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results71.5 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error58 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others59 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
40.9 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure58 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week34.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment2 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making79.8 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition30 vs 52.4
Lack of control
32.1 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions34 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work30.2 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
58.5 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks53.8 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate63.2 vs 78.6
Physical environment
58.8 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable90 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting22.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures51 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections64.2 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity66.2 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for animal attendants and trainers 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.
- 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
Animal Attendants and Trainers: how stressful is the job?
Animal Attendants and Trainers rank #139 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 48.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 56.2% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for animal attendants and trainers?
The highest-scoring hazards are sounds and noise levels are distracting or uncomfortable (90/100), frequency of decision making (79.8/100) and impact of decisions on co-workers or company results (71.5/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, lack of control and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for animal attendants and trainers?
Animal Attendants and Trainers score below the national average for responsibility burden (58.6 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (40.9 vs 56 average) and precision and monotony (58.5 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 animal attendants and trainers. 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.