Quick answer: Concreters are one of the most stress-exposed occupations in Australia — ranked #8 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 61/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are physical environment and pace and demands.
Concreters 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 demands52 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden72.9 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands71.8 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control38.1 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony69.1 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment62.1 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for concreters
Compared with the average Australian occupation, concreters score furthest above the norm on physical environment (62.1 vs 38.2 average), pace and demands (71.8 vs 56 average) and emotional demands (52 vs 37.9 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 86/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for concreters
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
86/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Physical environment
Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable
85.8/100
All-occupation average: 52.3
- 3Physical environment
Physical Proximity
85.5/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 4Pace and demands
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment
84.8/100
All-occupation average: 23.1
- 5Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
83.8/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
All 22 stress factors for concreters
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
52 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People31.8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People61.2 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations63 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
72.9 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results73.8 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety83.8 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results68.8 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error62 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others76.2 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
71.8 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure69.2 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week61 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment84.8 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making66.8 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition77 vs 52.4
Lack of control
38.1 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions41 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work35.2 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
69.1 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks52.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate86 vs 78.6
Physical environment
62.1 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable85.8 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting52.5 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures82.2 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections4.8 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity85.5 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for concreters 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.
- 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.
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
Concreters: how stressful is the job?
Concreters rank #8 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 61/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 97.5% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for concreters?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (86/100), sounds and noise levels are distracting or uncomfortable (85.8/100) and physical proximity (85.5/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for concreters?
Concreters score at or above the national average across all six stress categories.
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 concreters. 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.