The World’s Most Dangerous Jobs

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I was surprised when I read in a Korean newspaper today that more than 700 workers fall to their deaths at construction sites each year. I thought that number was quite high; however, construction work it is not the most dangerous job in the world. Indeed, some of the world’s most dangerous jobs might surprise you.

1. Fishermen

Surprisingly, workers in the fishery industries have the most dangerous job (118 deaths per 100,000) in the world. To be sure, fishermen have to endure all sorts of dangerous situations from storms, fog, and rough seas that constantly put them at risk of drowning. Moreover, if a fisherman were to suffer any serious injuries at sea such as illness or hypothermia, medical help would not be quickly available.

2. Military Personnel

Although military fatalities are not usually reported as part of any labor department’s statistics (111 deaths per 100,000) these fatalities are nonetheless easy to deduce as part of a public record. Although serving in the military can be dangerous in any circumstances, such as military training exercises, in recent years with the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan military service has been especially dangerous.

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3. Logging and Timber Workers

The logging industry is also quite dangerous (93 deaths per 100,000) given the nature of the duties that timber workers have to perform-from cutting down trees and transporting them. Although the very nature of their work puts them at risk with heavy, falling objects, they face further risks by either working on steep hills or in inclement weather.

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4. Aircraft Pilots

Airline travel is still quite safe, but for pilots (67 deaths per 100,000) it can be quite dangerous. However, the number of deaths is not just for commercial airline pilots, but also includes pilots for smaller aircraft (such as crop dusters) or for private pilots.

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5. Structural Iron and Steel Workers

Not surprisingly structural and steel workers have one of the world’s most dangerous jobs (56 deaths per 100,000). After all, these workers are working high in the air laying iron and steel beams for buildings, bridges, and other aerial structures. Although these workers are required to wear various kinds of safety gear and harnesses, they still are at risk either from falls or being injured from having to assemble those steel and iron beams.

6. Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors

Who would have thought that your common, neighborhood sanitation worker would have a dangerous job (44 deaths per 100,000), but they do. Although falling into the back of a garbage truck would be one of the occupational hazards, it is not the main one. Indeed, the primary cause of death for a sanitation worker is being hit by a motorist-and an impatient one at that-who tries to pass one of these vehicles.

7. Farmers and Ranchers

Life down on the farm might conjure up all sorts of peaceful, pastoral and bucolic images, but it is not so peaceful and can be quite dangerous (41 deaths per 100,000). The biggest danger would be from the tractors and heavy machinery, such as combines that pose the most risk for farmers and ranchers. To be sure, non-highway vehicle accidents cause most of the casualties among farmers and ranchers.

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8. Electrical Power Installers and Repairers

Another one of the dangerous aerial occupations are the power installers and repair persons (33 deaths per 100,000) who have to climb high poles and towers to repair power lines. Not only are these workers at a high risk of falls, they are also at risk of electrocution from coming into contact with the high-voltage power lines. In addition, sometimes these workers have to work during hazardous weather to restore electricity which puts them at further risk.

9. Truck Drivers

Without question driving is one of the most dangerous activities that people do day in and day out, as such, driving professionally compounds that danger (29 deaths per 100,000). To be sure, the drivers who drive these big rigs face numerous risks from collisions and overturning to jackknifing and even blow outs-all of which are more likely and frequent because of the vehicles they drive.

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10. Construction Workers

Whether it’s working on a building or a new highway, construction workers perform a wide range of potentially hazardous jobs that can also be quite dangerous (23 deaths per 100,000). Not only do these men and women have to work with heavy objects and dangerous machinery, they sometimes have to work at great heights or in bad weather that can contribute to injuries and death.