Deadliest Jobs in America

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s most recent data, 5,703 lives were lost on the job in 2006, down from 5,734 the previous year.

10: Driver/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers 27.1 fatality rate. The daily commute is normally considered the most dangerous part of the work day. Thus, jobs that require you to be on the road would understandably have a high death rate. With 940 deaths in 2006, Driver/Sales workers and truck drivers had a fatality rate of 27.1 deaths per 100,000.

9: Roofers 33.9 fatality rate. The higher up you work, the more fatal your fall will be. Roofers have a high incidence of slips and falls. With 82 fatalities in 2006, roofers rank ninth with a 33.9 fatality rate.

8: Electrical Power Line Workers 34.9 fatality rate. Dealing with extremely high voltage all around you understandably makes for a dangerous working environment. Thankfully, extreme safety precautions are generally taken to avoid serious mishaps, but accidents do happen. Electrical power-line installers and repairers have a fatality rate of 34.9 per 100,000.

7: Farmers and Ranchers 37.1 fatality rate. This category often operates heavy machinery and has a high incidence of workplace injury. In 2006, this group had the seventh highest fatality rate, at 37.1 deaths per 100,000 on the job.

6: Refuse and Recyclable Material Collection 41.8 fatality rate. These jobs often involve working in close proximity to hazardous waste, operating heavy machinery and sometimes working from heights. Refuse & recyclable material collectors rank as the sixth deadliest job in America, with a fatality rate of 41.8 per 100,000 jobs.

5: Coal Miners 49.5 fatality rate Mine collapses make this a dangerous industry. In general, the fatality rate of miners (including oil and gas extractors) is at 27.8, but coal mining is especially dangerous, at 49.5 deaths per 100,000 jobs.

4: Structural Iron and Steel Workers 61.0 fatality rate. Workers in this group place and install iron or steel girders, columns, and other construction materials for buildings, bridges and other structures, and often work outside in unpleasant weather. Because the danger of injuries from falls is great, iron workers use safety devices to reduce risk. Despite the best efforts, the death rate of this job is 61.0 per 100,000 workers.

3: Logging Workers 82.1 fatality rate. Logging is an extremely deadly job, enough so that the History Channel has made a series, Ax Men, following daily dangers faced by members of the logging industry. Often working at heights, using dangerous machinery and with the ever-present danger of falling trees, logging workers rank third with an 82.1 fatality rate.

2: Pilots and Flight Engineers 87.8 fatality rate. This is the most volatile category because of the irregular nature of crashes. The group also includes helicopter and small plane pilots, who may have aircraft with less than optimal safety measures and may often fly in poor conditions. The fatality rate is 87.8 deaths for every 100,000 jobs.

1: Fishermen and Fishing Workers 141.7 fatality rate. The most dangerous job in the country, fishermen are out at sea, often in extremely poor conditions and far away from help. Working with heavy machinery and lines that could potentially pull a crew member under the water, the fatality rate is a staggering 141.7 deaths per 100,000. That’s about one in 750 each year.