Quick answer: Cooks are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #110 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 lack of control and physical environment.
Cooks 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 demands43.8 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden58 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands47.2 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control41.8 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony63.5 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment47.2 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for cooks
Compared with the average Australian occupation, cooks score furthest above the norm on lack of control (41.8 vs 24.5 average), physical environment (47.2 vs 38.2 average) and emotional demands (43.8 vs 37.9 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is physical proximity at 80.8/100 — against an all-occupation average of 61.1.
The occupation scores below the national average for pace and demands (47.2 vs 56), precision and monotony (63.5 vs 67.7) and responsibility burden (58 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 cooks
- 1Physical environment
Physical Proximity
80.8/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 2Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
77.8/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 3Pace and demands
Time Pressure
76.8/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 4Physical environment
Very Hot or Cold Temperatures
72.8/100
All-occupation average: 32.4
- 5Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
66.8/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
All 22 stress factors for cooks
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
43.8 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People17 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People58.2 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations56.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
58 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results56.8 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety66.8 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results57.2 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error45 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others64 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
47.2 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure76.8 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week33 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment39.8 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making46.8 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition39.8 vs 52.4
Lack of control
41.8 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions43 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work40.5 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
63.5 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks49.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate77.8 vs 78.6
Physical environment
47.2 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable48.5 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting23.8 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures72.8 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections10.2 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity80.8 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for cooks 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.
- 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
Cooks: how stressful is the job?
Cooks rank #110 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 65.3% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for cooks?
The highest-scoring hazards are physical proximity (80.8/100), importance of being exact or accurate (77.8/100) and time pressure (76.8/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, lack of control and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for cooks?
Cooks score below the national average for responsibility burden (58 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (47.2 vs 56 average) and precision and monotony (63.5 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 cooks. 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.