National survey reveals widespread workplace hazard exposure
22 Sept 2026•BlueSafe Team•Source: Safe Work Australia
Safe Work Australia has released the 2026 Australian Worker Exposure Survey findings, with an estimated 68% of workers exposed to at least one physical or chemical hazard. The survey also examines psychosocial hazards and identifies the industries and workers most likely to face exposure.
The 2026 Australian Worker Exposure Survey (AWES 2026) provides a national snapshot of workplace hazard exposure. Likely exposure to physical and chemical hazards was estimated from workers’ answers about their tasks, while psychosocial hazards were assessed through workers’ self-reported experiences.
An estimated 28.9% of workers had high-level exposure to physical or chemical hazards. Exposure to multiple physical or chemical hazards was most common in construction (68.2%), agriculture, forestry and fishing (60.1%), and mining (60.0%).
Solar UV was the most common physical or chemical hazard, with likely exposure affecting 32.4% of workers, or approximately 4.87 million people across Australia. This included 21.0% of workers with medium-level exposure and 6.8% with high-level exposure.
About one in seven workers (13.6%), equivalent to approximately 2.04 million workers nationally, were likely exposed to silica. Exposure was highest in construction (71.8%) and mining (63.8%).
Apprentices and trainees were more likely than other workers to be exposed to several hazards. Their exposure rates included heat at 51.1%, silica at 35.7%, lead at 17.0% and asbestos at 13.7%.
The most common psychosocial hazards involved cognitive demands. High concentration was reported often or all of the time by 68.3% of workers, while 37.3% reported tight deadlines or pressure often or all of the time.
Some workers also reported limited support, clarity and agency at work. The findings showed 21.8% disagreed that they had a say in workplace changes, 16.8% disagreed that they received fair recognition and 13.0% disagreed that they felt informed about changes at work.
The survey establishes a baseline for tracking changes in work-related hazard exposure. As technology, work practices and employment arrangements change, ongoing monitoring can help identify new and emerging risks, target prevention efforts and support safe and healthy work.
How Blue Safe can help: Our free WHS self-check can help you review your business’s approach to workplace health and safety and identify areas that need closer attention, including psychosocial hazards. Take the free WHS self-check