Quick answer: Drillers, Miners and Shot Firers are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #117 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 50.1/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are pace and demands and physical environment.
Drillers, Miners and Shot Firers 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 demands24.8 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden66.3 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands73.2 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control25.5 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony63.4 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment47.4 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for drillers, miners and shot firers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, drillers, miners and shot firers score furthest above the norm on pace and demands (73.2 vs 56 average), physical environment (47.4 vs 38.2 average) and responsibility burden (66.3 vs 60 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is duration of typical work week at 90.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 62.1.
The occupation scores below the national average for emotional demands (24.8 vs 37.9) and precision and monotony (63.4 vs 67.7), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for drillers, miners and shot firers
- 1Pace and demands
Duration of Typical Work Week
90.5/100
All-occupation average: 62.1
- 2Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
78.2/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 3Physical environment
Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable
76/100
All-occupation average: 52.3
- 4Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
75.2/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
- 5Pace and demands
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment
72.5/100
All-occupation average: 23.1
All 22 stress factors for drillers, miners and shot firers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
24.8 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People4.5 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People36.2 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations33.8 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
66.3 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results56.2 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety75.2 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results65.8 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error69.2 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others65 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
73.2 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure64.5 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week90.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment72.5 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making78.2 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition60 vs 52.4
Lack of control
25.5 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions23.5 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work27.5 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
63.4 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks56.8 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate70 vs 78.6
Physical environment
47.4 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable76 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting48.2 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures67.8 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections5.2 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity39.8 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for drillers, miners and shot firers 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.
- Role Clarity →Whether workers clearly understand what is expected of them.
- Leadership →The quality and consistency of management behaviour at all levels.
- 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
Drillers, Miners and Shot Firers: how stressful is the job?
Drillers, Miners and Shot Firers rank #117 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 50.1/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 63.1% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for drillers, miners and shot firers?
The highest-scoring hazards are duration of typical work week (90.5/100), frequency of decision making (78.2/100) and sounds and noise levels are distracting or uncomfortable (76/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for drillers, miners and shot firers?
Drillers, Miners and Shot Firers score below the national average for emotional demands (24.8 vs 37.9 average) and precision and monotony (63.4 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 drillers, miners and shot firers. 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.