Over two-thirds exposed to a physical or chemical hazard, workers survey reveals

Findings from the 2026 Australian Worker Exposure Survey have been published by Safe Work Australia, providing an up-to-date national picture of work-related hazard exposure.

Examining workers’ exposure to a range of physical, chemical and psychosocial hazards at work, for physical and chemical hazards (referred to as agents), workers were asked in the survey about the tasks they perform, with likely exposure estimated from their responses. For psychosocial hazards, these were measured using workers’ self-reported experiences at work.

Key findings include:

• More than two-thirds (68%) of workers were estimated to have been exposed to at least one physical or chemical hazard, with close to one-third (28.9%) of workers experiencing high-level exposure.
• Construction (68.2%), Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (60.1%) and Mining (60.0%) were the industries where exposure to multiple physical or chemical hazards was most common.
• The most common physical or chemical hazard was exposure to Solar UV, with approximately 4.87 million workers in Australia (32.4% of workers) likely exposed, including 21% with medium-level exposure and 6.8% with high-level exposure.
• Approximately 2.04 million workers in Australia, or one in seven workers (13.6%), were likely exposed to silica, with exposure highest in the Construction (71.8%) and Mining (63.8%) industries.
• More likely than other workers to be exposed to several work-related hazards, including heat (51.1%), silica (35.7%), lead (17.0%) and asbestos (13.7%), were apprentices and trainees.
• Regarding psychosocial hazards, many workers were exposed, with the most common being cognitive demands like high concentration (68.3% often or all of the time) and tight deadlines or pressure (37.3% often or all of the time).
• Low levels of support, clarity and agency in their jobs was reported by some workers, with 21.8% disagreeing that they ‘have a say in changes at work’, 16.8% disagreeing that they ‘receive fair recognition’ and 13.0% disagreeing that they ‘feel informed about changes at work’.

“The findings provide valuable insights into work-related hazard exposure across Australia, including the most common hazards, where exposure is concentrated, and the workers and industries most likely to be exposed,” SWA said.

“As work continues to evolve through changes in technology, work practices and employment arrangements, new and emerging hazards can arise. Ongoing monitoring of work-related hazard exposure helps identify risks, target prevention efforts and support safe and healthy work.”

More information on the survey findings can be found at data.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/reports/hazards-and-injuries/insights-australian-worker-exposure-survey-2026.

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