Safe Work Australia has published findings from the 2026 Australian Worker Exposure Survey (AWES 2026), providing an up-to-date national picture of work-related hazard exposure across Australia.
The survey examines 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 about the tasks they perform, with likely exposure estimated from their responses. Psychosocial hazards were measured using workers' self-reported experiences 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.
Key findings from the survey include:
68% of workers were estimated to have been exposed to at least one physical or chemical hazard, with 28.9% of workers experiencing high-level exposure.
Exposure to multiple physical or chemical hazards was most common in the Construction (68.2%), Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (60.1%) and Mining (60.0%) industries.
Exposure to Solar UV was the most common physical or chemical hazard, with 32.4% of workers (approximately 4.87 million workers in Australia) likely exposed, including 21.0% with medium-level exposure and 6.8% with high-level exposure.
One in 7 workers (13.6%), or approximately 2.04 million workers in Australia, were likely exposed to silica. Exposure was highest in the Construction (71.8%) and Mining (63.8%) industries.
Apprentices and trainees were 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%).
Many workers were exposed to psychosocial hazards, 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).
Some workers reported low levels of support, clarity and agency in their jobs 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’.
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.
The survey also establishes an important baseline for monitoring changes in work-related hazard exposure over time.
See the 2026 Australian Worker Exposure Survey (AWES 2026) at a glance.
Read the 2026 Australian Worker Exposure Survey (AWES 2026) report to explore the findings.