Quick answer: Storepersons are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #253 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 42.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are lack of control and precision and monotony.
Storepersons 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 demands35.8 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden47 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands43 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control28.9 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony70.5 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment28.1 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for storepersons
Compared with the average Australian occupation, storepersons score furthest above the norm on lack of control (28.9 vs 24.5 average) and precision and monotony (70.5 vs 67.7 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is importance of being exact or accurate at 74/100 — against an all-occupation average of 78.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for pace and demands (43 vs 56), responsibility burden (47 vs 60) and physical environment (28.1 vs 38.2), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for storepersons
- 1Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
74/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 2Precision and monotony
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks
67/100
All-occupation average: 56.9
- 3Physical environment
Physical Proximity
62/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 4Pace and demands
Time Pressure
61/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 5Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
60.5/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
All 22 stress factors for storepersons
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
35.8 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People12.2 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People57.8 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations37.5 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
47 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results40 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety45.2 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results59.2 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error30.2 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others60 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
43 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure61 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week48.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment11.8 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making60.5 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition33.2 vs 52.4
Lack of control
28.9 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions28.8 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work29 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
70.5 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks67 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate74 vs 78.6
Physical environment
28.1 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable30.8 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting13.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures20.8 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections14 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity62 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for storepersons 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.
- Learning and Stimulation →Whether work offers enough challenge, variety, and opportunity for growth.
- Work Monitoring →How worker performance is measured, observed, and reported.
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
Storepersons: how stressful is the job?
Storepersons rank #253 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 42.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 20.2% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for storepersons?
The highest-scoring hazards are importance of being exact or accurate (74/100), importance of repeating same tasks (67/100) and physical proximity (62/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in lack of control and precision and monotony.
Which stress factors are lower for storepersons?
Storepersons score below the national average for emotional demands (35.8 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (47 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (43 vs 56 average) and physical environment (28.1 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 storepersons. 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.