Quick answer: Vehicle Painters are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #111 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 50.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are physical environment and lack of control.
Vehicle Painters 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 demands24.6 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden54.2 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands64.2 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control41.8 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony58.6 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment57.6 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for vehicle painters
Compared with the average Australian occupation, vehicle painters score furthest above the norm on physical environment (57.6 vs 38.2 average), lack of control (41.8 vs 24.5 average) and pace and demands (64.2 vs 56 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is sounds and noise levels are distracting or uncomfortable at 91.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 52.3.
The occupation scores below the national average for emotional demands (24.6 vs 37.9), precision and monotony (58.6 vs 67.7) and responsibility burden (54.2 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 vehicle painters
- 1Physical environment
Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable
91.5/100
All-occupation average: 52.3
- 2Pace and demands
Time Pressure
80.8/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 3Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
79.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 4Physical environment
Very Hot or Cold Temperatures
76/100
All-occupation average: 32.4
- 5Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
74/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
All 22 stress factors for vehicle painters
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
24.6 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People5.8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People33.8 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations34.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
54.2 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results57.2 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety67.2 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results56.5 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error33 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others57 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
64.2 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure80.8 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week59 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment60.5 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making79.8 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition41 vs 52.4
Lack of control
41.8 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions30.2 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work53.2 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
58.6 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks43.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate74 vs 78.6
Physical environment
57.6 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable91.5 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting33.5 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures76 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections18 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity69.2 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for vehicle painters map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Work Demands →The volume, pace, and complexity of what is asked of workers.
- Schedule and Hours →The arrangement of working time and its effect on health and recovery.
- 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
Vehicle Painters: how stressful is the job?
Vehicle Painters rank #111 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 50.2/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 65.0% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for vehicle painters?
The highest-scoring hazards are sounds and noise levels are distracting or uncomfortable (91.5/100), time pressure (80.8/100) and frequency of decision making (79.8/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in pace and demands, lack of control and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for vehicle painters?
Vehicle Painters score below the national average for emotional demands (24.6 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (54.2 vs 60 average) and precision and monotony (58.6 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 vehicle painters. 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.