Quick answer: Fire and Emergency Workers are one of the most stress-exposed occupations in Australia — ranked #7 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 62.3/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are physical environment and responsibility burden.
Fire and Emergency Workers 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 demands56.6 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden80.2 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands59.6 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control27.2 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony71.4 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment78.7 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for fire and emergency workers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, fire and emergency workers score furthest above the norm on physical environment (78.7 vs 38.2 average), responsibility burden (80.2 vs 60 average) and emotional demands (56.6 vs 37.9 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is physical proximity at 90.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 61.1.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for fire and emergency workers
- 1Physical environment
Physical Proximity
90.5/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 2Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
86.8/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
- 3Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
81.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 4Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
81.8/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 5Physical environment
Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable
81.8/100
All-occupation average: 52.3
All 22 stress factors for fire and emergency workers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
56.6 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People47 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People63 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations59.8 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
80.2 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results74 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety86.8 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results81.8 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error79.8 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others78.8 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
59.6 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure65 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week69.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment20.2 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making78.2 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition65.2 vs 52.4
Lack of control
27.2 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions26.5 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work28 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
71.4 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks61 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate81.8 vs 78.6
Physical environment
78.7 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable81.8 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting77 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures67.5 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections76.8 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity90.5 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for fire and emergency workers 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
Fire and Emergency Workers: how stressful is the job?
Fire and Emergency Workers rank #7 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 62.3/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 97.8% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for fire and emergency workers?
The highest-scoring hazards are physical proximity (90.5/100), responsible for others' health and safety (86.8/100) and impact of decisions on co-workers or company results (81.8/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for fire and emergency workers?
Fire and Emergency Workers score at or above the national average across all six stress categories.
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 fire and emergency workers. 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.