Quick answer: Food and Drink Factory Workers are notably more stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #102 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 50.6/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are lack of control and precision and monotony.
Food and Drink Factory 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 demands10.9 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden68.3 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands62.6 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control44.2 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony79.2 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment38 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for food and drink factory workers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, food and drink factory workers score furthest above the norm on lack of control (44.2 vs 24.5 average), precision and monotony (79.2 vs 67.7 average) and responsibility burden (68.3 vs 60 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is pace determined by speed of equipment at 82.2/100 — against an all-occupation average of 23.1.
The occupation scores below the national average for emotional demands (10.9 vs 37.9) and physical environment (38 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 food and drink factory workers
- 1Pace and demands
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment
82.2/100
All-occupation average: 23.1
- 2Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
81.2/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 3Pace and demands
Time Pressure
79.8/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 4Responsibility burden
Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
79.2/100
All-occupation average: 57.3
- 5Precision and monotony
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks
77.2/100
All-occupation average: 56.9
All 22 stress factors for food and drink factory workers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
10.9 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People0 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People14.5 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations18.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
68.3 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results72 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety79.2 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results66.8 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error55.5 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others68.2 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
62.6 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure79.8 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week62.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment82.2 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making44 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition44.5 vs 52.4
Lack of control
44.2 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions32.5 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work56 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
79.2 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks77.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate81.2 vs 78.6
Physical environment
38 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable65.2 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting12.5 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures39.8 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections0 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity72.8 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for food and drink factory 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:
- 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.
- Learning and Stimulation →Whether work offers enough challenge, variety, and opportunity for growth.
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
Food and Drink Factory Workers: how stressful is the job?
Food and Drink Factory Workers rank #102 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 50.6/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 67.8% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for food and drink factory workers?
The highest-scoring hazards are pace determined by speed of equipment (82.2/100), importance of being exact or accurate (81.2/100) and time pressure (79.8/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control and precision and monotony.
Which stress factors are lower for food and drink factory workers?
Food and Drink Factory Workers score below the national average for emotional demands (10.9 vs 37.9 average) and physical environment (38 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 food and drink factory 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.