Quick answer: Freight and Furniture Handlers are moderately stress-exposed compared with other Australian occupations — ranked #133 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 48.5/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are lack of control and physical environment.
Freight and Furniture Handlers 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 demands32.7 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden54.1 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands58.4 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control32.6 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony69.6 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment43.6 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for freight and furniture handlers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, freight and furniture handlers score furthest above the norm on lack of control (32.6 vs 24.5 average), physical environment (43.6 vs 38.2 average) and pace and demands (58.4 vs 56 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is time pressure at 84.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 71.6.
The occupation scores below the national average for responsibility burden (54.1 vs 60) and emotional demands (32.7 vs 37.9), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for freight and furniture handlers
- 1Pace and demands
Time Pressure
84.5/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
- 2Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
82.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 3Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
79/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 4Physical environment
Physical Proximity
70/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 5Physical environment
Very Hot or Cold Temperatures
65.5/100
All-occupation average: 32.4
All 22 stress factors for freight and furniture handlers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
32.7 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People4.5 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People45.2 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations48.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
54.1 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results51.8 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety56.5 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results61 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error45 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others56.5 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
58.4 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure84.5 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week56 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment32.5 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making82.8 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition36.2 vs 52.4
Lack of control
32.6 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions31.5 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work33.8 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
69.6 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks60.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate79 vs 78.6
Physical environment
43.6 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable44.5 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting35.8 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures65.5 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections2.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity70 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for freight and furniture handlers 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.
- Learning and Stimulation →Whether work offers enough challenge, variety, and opportunity for growth.
- Work Monitoring →How worker performance is measured, observed, and reported.
- 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
Freight and Furniture Handlers: how stressful is the job?
Freight and Furniture Handlers rank #133 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 48.5/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 58.0% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for freight and furniture handlers?
The highest-scoring hazards are time pressure (84.5/100), frequency of decision making (82.8/100) and importance of being exact or accurate (79/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for freight and furniture handlers?
Freight and Furniture Handlers score below the national average for emotional demands (32.7 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (54.1 vs 60 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 freight and furniture handlers. 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.