In summary, this paper attempted to examine the relationship between musculoskeletal pain and distress in an Australian mining population. Specifically, it focused on the impact of individual, work, and lifestyle factors, and demonstrated that for truck drivers or machine operators exercise time and sleep quality had important implications for the painedistress relationship. Moreover, it is suggested that the presentation of distress is complex, with the combined interplay among contributory variables being more important than the simple effect of pain. Given the array of individual, work, and lifestyle factors possible, it is likely that these findings underestimate the complexity of pain experiences, and therefore why and how this translates into psychological distress. As such, questions unanswered by this study open up several new avenues for further research. For instance, it remains to be determined whether psychological distress is a time-dependent risk factor for work-related injuries in mining. Although the study utilized a large company with a workforce representative of the industry, it would be valuable to know whether risk factors for pain and distress varied between underground and surface operations. Although the study results suggest that exercise time off-shift and sleep quality on-shift may be beneficial to reduce the impact of pain on distress, more information is also needed about the individual characteristics of people who are able to cope with, and work through, pain. Furthermore, determining whether other recovery activities besides sleep and exercise benefit workers in the mining industry would also be a valuable contribution to the field. In order for occupational health and safety researchers and practitioners to decrease occupational injury rates and the compensation costs that follow, a proactive approach to monitor the occurrence of both pain and distress among the workforce to identify individuals in need of early intervention is essential. This may be particularly critical for truck drivers and machine operators, workers who have difficulty sleeping, and workers with lower back pain, as these conditions were associated with poorer outcomes for pain, distress, and work interference.