Quick answer: Service Station Attendants are notably more stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #48 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 53.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are pace and demands and physical environment.
Service Station Attendants 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 demands45.8 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden68.5 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands68.5 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control23.1 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony64.5 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment48.4 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for service station attendants
Compared with the average Australian occupation, service station attendants score furthest above the norm on pace and demands (68.5 vs 56 average), physical environment (48.4 vs 38.2 average) and responsibility burden (68.5 vs 60 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is time pressure at 90/100 — against an all-occupation average of 71.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for precision and monotony (64.5 vs 67.7) and lack of control (23.1 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 service station attendants
- 1Pace and demands
Time Pressure
90/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 2Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
88.2/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 3Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
87.5/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 4Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
87/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 5Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
79/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
All 22 stress factors for service station attendants
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
45.8 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People10.8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People66 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations60.8 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
68.5 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results62.2 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety66.8 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results87.5 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error67.8 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others58.5 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
68.5 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure90 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week79 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment28.8 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making88.2 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition56.8 vs 52.4
Lack of control
23.1 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions15 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work31.2 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
64.5 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks42 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate87 vs 78.6
Physical environment
48.4 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable75 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting39.8 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures63.8 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections3.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity60 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for service station attendants 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
Service Station Attendants: how stressful is the job?
Service Station Attendants rank #48 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 53.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 84.9% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for service station attendants?
The highest-scoring hazards are time pressure (90/100), frequency of decision making (88.2/100) and impact of decisions on co-workers or company results (87.5/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for service station attendants?
Service Station Attendants score below the national average for lack of control (23.1 vs 24.5 average) and precision and monotony (64.5 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 service station attendants. 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.