Top 10 dangerous occupations in America

Occupational hazard is a fact of life and we accept it. But there are jobs out there where the danger of you not coming back home at the end of your shift is very real. These are the most dangerous jobs in America.

1. Timber cutters and loggers lead the pack with a mortality rate that is 30 times higher than that for normal jobs. Loggers are risk of being seriously hurt by heavy objects. Their jobs involve cutting, shaping, and moving heavy lumber. The fatality rate is a high 118 deaths every 100,000 people. Cuts, lacerations, sprains, torn ligaments and ruptured muscles are common occurrences even though logging companies try their best to maintain safety standards. High accident rates also mean more claims to pay for the companies.

2. Fishers and crabbers who work the Bering Sea operate in some of the most hostile environs on the planet. They are stressed for time as the crabbing season lasts only for a couple of weeks. The extreme cold can lead to such heavy ice formation that it can capsize the boat because of the extra weight. Knuckles and knees get busted regularly while working with the huge crab cages. The huge machinery and slippery decks often lead to cracked ribs and broken feet. A man overboard is as good as lost in the squally sub-zero conditions. The job reports around 87 fatalities for every 100,000 people.

3. Commercial pilots have a hazardous occupation where even a loose bolt can spell disaster. It is usually pilots managing the smaller aircraft, such as crop dusters, air-taxi pilots, and bush pilots, who are at a higher risk. The U.S average mortality rate for this job is around 70 deaths per 100,000 but the figure is much higher in Alaska where a pilot has almost 13% chance of dying on job in the course of a 30-year career. Most flying-related mishaps occur due to sudden changes in weather.

4. Construction workers/Ironworkers who climb several stories and work on narrow beams at great heights run the risk of fatal falls. Mishaps occur inspite of using safety harnesses and using safety gear. Working with heavy steel and iron equipment in cramped spaces requires concentration and inspite of taking precautions while welding, grinding, or buffing metal, injuries happen. Moreover, construction work often takes place in high-traffic areas and they are expected to wear high-visibility clothing and post warning signs, yet accidents do happen. This job reports around 48 deaths to every 100,000 workers.

5. Refuse collectors also make the list. Garbage collectors and those who work with recyclable materials are exposed to all kinds of threats – biological, mechanical, chemical, and even physical. There is a real hazard of an explosion in your face from an old battery or getting a nick from rusted blade and not noticing it till too late, or being exposed to disease-carrying vermin. Sadly, many avoidable fatalities occur when impatient motorists try to overtake or bypass garbage trucks and in the process hit the garbage-truck driver.

6. Farmers and ranchers have always had a hazardous job to do; earlier they had animals and the elements to contend with, now there is some heavy machinery to deal with as well. As with all hazardous jobs, inspite of all your precautions accidents will happen and very often for no fault of yours. The tractors and harvesters are a leading cause of non-highway vehicle accidents. Working with pesticides, bites and kicks from animals, working on top of silos and windmills are just a few of the hazards that farmers and ranchers face. Almost 38 fatalities every 100,000 workers is testimony to the strain of cultivating crops and rearing livestock.

7. Roofers are seventh in the list of dangerous jobs in America. They face bone-breaking falls from slippery sloping roofs or from the scaffolds and ladders that they employ. They also have to handle flammable and toxic materials, work near live electric wire, handle materials such as solvents, tar, pitch, and asbestos that are harmful to health, work in uncomfortable postures and lift heavy weights. 35 fatalities for every 100,000 workers.

8. Electrical power-line installers work with high-voltage lines that are high off the ground; they are at risk of injuries from falls and electric shock. The job also involves erecting heavy transmission towers. The labor covers activities such as soldering and brazing metals, decomposing fluoropolymers, and working with allergy-causing materials. There are around 30 fatalities for every 100,000 employed.

9. Drivers transporting goods and livestock are often fighting time as the quicker they finish one delivery more is the money to be made. Drivers spend a lot of time on the highways and run the risk of accidents. In fact, in terms of sheer numbers truckers report the highest fatality rates in the US but that’s because there are so many truckers. 28 fatalities out for every 100,000 workers.

10. Cab drivers and chauffeurs who ferry wealthy patrons and often also transfer cash run not only the usual risks on the road but also the risk of getting mugged. They operate alone and work till late in the night thereby increasing their vulnerability to attack. There are 24 fatalities for every 100,000 workers in this profession.

There has been a change in perception regarding hazardous jobs in the US post 9/11 and the anthrax scare. While earlier only 1 out of 6 felt that his job was dangerous; after 9/11 1 out of 4 respondents to a survey believed that they had a dangerous job. Foreigners in the workplace cause discomfort and people from waiters in eateries to employees with U.N are wary of Afghani colleagues and people of middle-eastern origin. Similarly, those handling packages have become more careful in handling packages in the wake of the anthrax scare. People are a little loath to travel if it means work-related flying or road travel. The risk perception has increased amongst those who would qualify as holding white-collar jobs.

There has been a massive change in how safety measures were implemented earlier and now. Precaution is the byword and employees across industries have undergone security training, safety training, and crisis training. These steps; however, have actually done little to assuage the fears of employees who say that these only serve to highlight the dangers that they were previously unaware of. The general feeling amongst the working populace in the US is that these precautions aren’t necessarily going to be effective and that they are having a negative effect on the productivity. All the same, the majority of those interviewed were not concerned about loss of privacy or freedom so long as it gave them security. The study found that women were more open to the idea of curtailed freedom as against men. Go here for an article with figures.

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