Quick answer: Funeral Workers are notably more stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #80 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 51.5/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are physical environment and responsibility burden.
Funeral 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 demands43.3 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden69.8 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands62 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control9.8 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony75.1 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment49.1 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for funeral workers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, funeral workers score furthest above the norm on physical environment (49.1 vs 38.2 average), responsibility burden (69.8 vs 60 average) and precision and monotony (75.1 vs 67.7 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 96.2/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for lack of control (9.8 vs 24.5), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for funeral workers
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
96.2/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Pace and demands
Time Pressure
93.8/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 3Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
86.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 4Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
83.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 5Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
80.5/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
All 22 stress factors for funeral workers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
43.3 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People17 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People56.2 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations56.8 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
69.8 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results73.2 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety67.2 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results83.8 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error53.2 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others71.5 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
62 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure93.8 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week80.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment4.2 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making86.8 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition44.8 vs 52.4
Lack of control
9.8 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions11 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work8.5 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
75.1 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks54 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate96.2 vs 78.6
Physical environment
49.1 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable23.2 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting21.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures50.2 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections78.8 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity72 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for funeral 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:
- 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
Funeral Workers: how stressful is the job?
Funeral Workers rank #80 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 51.5/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 74.8% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for funeral workers?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (96.2/100), time pressure (93.8/100) and frequency of decision making (86.8/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, precision and monotony and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for funeral workers?
Funeral Workers score below the national average for lack of control (9.8 vs 24.5 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 funeral 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.