OHS Hazards of High Work Intensity

Work intensity and stress is affecting the health and safety of many Australian workers. One in three employees report having too much work for one person to do and 40% of workers claim they are forced to continually work to tight deadlines.

The effect is a workforce with little positive change in work life outcomes over the past 5 years according to the Australian Work and Life Index.

The report says 36.8 per cent of those it surveyed said they worked at great speed for at least three-quarters of their time at work, and 40.6 per cent said they worked to tight deadlines for the same length of time.

This intensification of workload in the average workplace is risking the health and wellbeing of Australian workers.

“Jobs that overload workers and create time pressures are not good for health. They increase the likelihood of stress, burnout and poor physical health, and negatively affect relationships with family and partners,” the index says.

The index is produced by the Centre for Work+Life at the University of South Australia. It randomly selected and surveyed 2,887 working Australians. You can click here for a summary of the report.