Quick answer: Outdoor Adventure Guides are less stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #307 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 35.5/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are lack of control.
Outdoor Adventure Guides 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 demands25.3 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden45.3 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands37 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control25.4 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony48.9 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment31.4 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for outdoor adventure guides
Compared with the average Australian occupation, outdoor adventure guides score furthest above the norm on lack of control (25.4 vs 24.5 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is physical proximity at 78.5/100 — against an all-occupation average of 61.1.
The occupation scores below the national average for pace and demands (37 vs 56), precision and monotony (48.9 vs 67.7) and responsibility burden (45.3 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 outdoor adventure guides
- 1Physical environment
Physical Proximity
78.5/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 2Responsibility burden
Coordinate or Lead Others
74.8/100
All-occupation average: 64.9
- 3Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
70.5/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 4Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
66/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 5Pace and demands
Time Pressure
60.2/100
All-occupation average: 71.6
All 22 stress factors for outdoor adventure guides
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
25.3 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People10 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People33.5 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations32.5 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
45.3 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results34.5 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety38.5 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results56.2 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error22.5 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others74.8 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
37 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure60.2 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week14 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment14.8 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making66 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition30 vs 52.4
Lack of control
25.4 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions23.5 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work27.2 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
48.9 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks27.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate70.5 vs 78.6
Physical environment
31.4 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable28 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting12.5 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures36.2 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections1.8 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity78.5 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for outdoor adventure guides map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Autonomy →The degree of control workers have over how they do their work.
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
Outdoor Adventure Guides: how stressful is the job?
Outdoor Adventure Guides rank #307 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 35.5/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 3.2% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for outdoor adventure guides?
The highest-scoring hazards are physical proximity (78.5/100), coordinate or lead others (74.8/100) and importance of being exact or accurate (70.5/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in lack of control.
Which stress factors are lower for outdoor adventure guides?
Outdoor Adventure Guides score below the national average for emotional demands (25.3 vs 37.9 average) and responsibility burden (45.3 vs 60 average) and pace and demands (37 vs 56 average) and precision and monotony (48.9 vs 67.7 average) and physical environment (31.4 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 outdoor adventure guides. 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.