New research from Safe Work Australia has highlighted the physical and psychosocial risks facing more than 2.3 million sales and service workers across Australia, including those working in retail, hospitality and other customer-facing roles.
The findings reveal concerning patterns of workplace injuries, psychosocial hazards and under-reporting, particularly among younger and casually employed workers.
What Did the Research Find?
Safe Work Australia’s study examined workplace health and safety outcomes for sales and service workers, drawing on workers’ compensation claims, survey responses and hazard exposure data.
The research found that these workers face significant physical and psychosocial risks, some of which are not fully captured in workers’ compensation statistics.
Body stressing remains the leading cause of serious injury, while psychosocial hazards, including bullying, violence, aggression, high job demands and low job control, contribute to poor mental health outcomes.
When psychological injury claims occur, they are associated with longer periods away from work and higher compensation costs.
The findings also suggest that workplace injuries and safety concerns may be going unreported, particularly among younger workers and those in less secure employment arrangements.
Why Are These Workers More Vulnerable?
The research highlighted several workforce characteristics that may increase vulnerability to workplace health and safety risks:
- Younger workers: 36% of sales and service workers are aged 15–24, compared with 15% across other occupations.
- Casual employment: 46% are employed casually, more than double the 22% recorded across other occupations.
- Variable income: 38% reported that their income changes between pay periods, compared with 28% across other occupations.
- Guaranteed hours: Only 65% have guaranteed working hours, compared with 82% across other occupations.
Younger workers and those with irregular hours or insecure employment may be less confident about reporting hazards, raising concerns or making workers’ compensation claims.
This means employers cannot rely solely on incident reports and claims data to understand the risks their workers face.
What Does This Mean for Employers?
For businesses employing sales and service workers, the findings reinforce the need to consider both physical and psychosocial hazards.
Customer-facing employees may regularly deal with difficult customers, aggressive behaviour, demanding workloads or limited control over their work. At the same time, physical hazards such as repetitive movements, manual handling and prolonged standing still require attention.
Employers should consider whether:
- Workers understand how to report hazards, incidents and inappropriate behaviour.
- Psychosocial hazards, including customer aggression, bullying and excessive job demands, are being identified and managed.
- Younger and casual employees receive appropriate training, supervision and support.
- Workers are consulted about safety concerns, including those that may not appear in incident records.
- Existing risk controls reflect the conditions employees are actually working in.
A low number of reported incidents does not necessarily mean a workplace has low risk. It may also indicate that workers are reluctant to speak up.
The Takeaway for Employers
The research is a reminder that WHS risks are not limited to traditionally high-risk industries.
Retail stores, cafés, restaurants and other service businesses need to manage the hazards associated with their work, including those affecting psychological health.
With National Safe Work Month underway, now is a good opportunity to review how your business identifies risks, consults with workers and responds to safety concerns.
Read the full findings from Safe Work Australia.
Are You Managing Psychosocial Risks in Your Workplace?
Speak with a ProcessWorx Safety Advisor on (08) 9316 9896 or get in touch for guidance on identifying workplace hazards and reviewing your WHS systems.
