Top 15 Most Dangerous Jobs in the US with the Most Dead/Injured
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Certain occupations undeniably pose a greater threat to its workers, who might be exposed to harmful substances, dangerous environments, and life-threatening situations if proper safety regulations are not followed.
That might be no surprise to the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way for their well-earned wage… but are those wages enough in the first place?
What Are The Most Dangerous Jobs in the US?
1. Logging workers
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| Photo: USA Today |
Total deaths (2018): 56
Fatal injury rate: 111 per 100,000 workers
Salary: $41,230
Most common fatal accidents: Contact with objects and equipment
The most dangerous job in America is logging. Logging workers had a fatal accident rate that was 33 times the average job nationwide.
In order to produce goods like wood, paper, and cardboard as well as other industrial goods, logging workers harvest forests. These workers spend the majority of their time outdoors, in remote forests and other settings.
Heavy machinery is used by loggers to fell trees and handle logs. Contact with logging equipment or logs is the most common cause of logging worker fatalities.
2. Grounds maintenance workers
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| Photo: rd |
Fatal injury rate: 17.4 per 100k
Fatal injuries per year: 217
Most common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents
Mean annual salary: $30,330
Educational requirements: Some licenses, certifications, and registrations may be required
5 times more likely to have a fatal injury than the average worker
Grounds maintenance workers have some of the lowest pay on this list, but despite their low pay, they are actually five times more likely to suffer a fatal injury than the average worker. Workers in this field, such as groundskeepers, frequently operate large industrial machinery and are in charge of vast tracts of land. The majority of these workers' workplace fatalities are caused by transportation to and from various locations.
3. Miscellaneous agricultural workers
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| Photo: fox2now |
Fatal injury rate: 17.4 per 100k
Fatal injuries per year: 156
Most common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents
Mean annual salary: $25,990
Educational requirements: High school diploma or equivalent and some licenses, certifications, and registrations may be required
5 times more likely to have a fatal injury than the average worker
Agricultural workers have the 11th most dangerous job in America and the lowest mean annual wage on this list, so call it less than ideal working conditions. However, transportation incidents, not the use of heavy machinery, are to blame for the high rate of fatal injury among these workers.
 Top 10 Most Dangerous Jobs in America - Number of Deaths |
4. Police and sheriff’s patrol officers
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| Photo: BBC |
Fatal injury rate: 14.6 per 100k
Fatal injuries per year: 108
Most common cause of fatal injury: Violence and other injuries by persons or animals
Mean annual salary: $64,490
Educational requirements: High school diploma or equivalent, or college coursework/degree, and training
4 times more likely to have a fatal injury than the average worker
According to reports, intentional shootings on the job (here coded as "violence and other injuries by persons or animals") have increased the number of fatalities among law enforcement personnel in recent years. Prospective police officers are required to undergo rigorous screening, training, and certification procedures, even though educational requirements differ between positions, districts, and states.
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5. Construction laborers
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| Photo: Construction Today |
Fatal injury rate: 15.1 per 100k
Fatal injuries per year: 254
Most common cause of fatal injury: Falls, slips, and trips
Mean annual salary: $38,890
Educational requirements: High school diploma or equivalent, training, and certain licenses, certifications, and registrations may be required
4 times more likely to have a fatal injury than the average worker
Construction work is more deadly than nearly every occupation on this list because it is a field ripe for accidents. The statistics show that 254 construction workers lost their lives while working in 2016. (However, compared to their supervisors, this work's actual injury rate is lower; see below.) More construction workers die each year from falls from scaffolding and tall buildings than any other kind of accident.
6. Fishers and related fishing workers
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| Photo: fox2now |
Fatal injury rate: 86.0 per 100k
Fatal injuries per year: 24
Most common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents
Mean annual salary: $31,190
Educational requirements: No formal educational credential
24 times more likely to have a fatal injury than the average worker
Given the unpredictable climate and weather conditions they might encounter, members of these maritime professions are not unfamiliar with the possibility of harm. Commercial fishermen experience the second-highest rates of fatalities on the job. They also make, on average, $31,190 per year, which is the third-lowest salary on this list. However, since income is frequently greatly influenced by fish yield, this figure is frequently in flux.
7. Crossing guards
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| Photo: The Commercial Appeal |
Fatal injury rate: 19 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 14
Salary: $29,760
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents
At crosswalks, intersections, schools, and other locations where people and cars cross paths, crossing guards are in charge of directing the flow of both types of traffic. Crossing guards' duties may include stopping traffic and assisting in the safe direction-finding of pedestrians at crossings and intersections. In addition to using hand signals, flags, and signs, crossing guards can also work to direct traffic. Transportation incidents, in which crossing guards are struck and killed by moving vehicles, are the most frequent causes of death for crossing guards.
8. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers
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| Photo: fox2now |
Fatal injury rate: 53 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 70
Salary: $121,430
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents
Pilots of aircraft control and fly planes, helicopters, and other kinds of aircraft. In their line of work, pilots are in charge of planning for fuel and making flight plans as well as inspecting the condition of the aircraft before and after flights. In addition to flying the aircraft, pilots also control it, interact with air traffic control, and keep an eye on its systems while in flight.
In contrast to regularly scheduled commercial jet aircraft, crashes involving privately owned aircraft and helicopters account for the majority of pilot fatalities.
9. Derrick operators in oil, gas, and mining
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| Photo: Petr Shelomovskiy |
BLS Category: Derrick, rotary drill, and service unit operators, oil, gas, and mining
Fatal injury rate: 46 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 20
Salary: $51,390
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents, contact with objects and equipment
The derrick and drill machinery used to extract oil and gas and mine for materials are set up, maintained, and operated by these oil workers. The building above a well that houses the drilling apparatus and rotates to move the earth is called a derrick. Pumps to draw oil or other materials from the well may be part of the derrick.
The two main causes of death for these workers were transportation accidents and contact with objects and equipment.
10. Roofers
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| Photo: The Spruce |
Fatal injury rate: 41 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 96
Salary: $42,100
Most common fatal accidents: Falls, slips, trips
Roofs on homes and buildings must be installed, repaired, and replaced by roofers. They are responsible for placing and securing roofing materials on roofs, such as shingles, metal, or other materials. In most cases, roofers need to use ladders or other tools to ascend to the top of buildings. Falling off roofs or ladders is the most frequent cause of fatal work injuries for roofers.
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11. Garbage collectors
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| Photo: Getty Images |
BLS Category: Refuse and recyclable material collectors
Fatal injury rate: 34 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 37
Salary: $42,100
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents
Refuse and recyclable material collectors, also known as garbage collectors, collect our waste. Typically, these workers will operate a truck through residential areas, filling trash cans and dumpsters as they go. In contrast to some trucks that have mechanical lifters, many bins are loaded by hand. The waste is then removed from the trucks and taken to a landfill or waste transfer station.
Being hit by a garbage truck or other vehicle is the most frequent cause of death for these workers.
12. Ironworkers
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| Photo: fox2now |
BLS Category: Structural iron and steel workers
Fatal injury rate: 29 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 15
Salary: $53,650
Most common fatal accidents: Falls, slips, trips
Installing steel and iron on structures like buildings, bridges, and roads is the responsibility of ironworkers. They frequently work by scaling tall structures, unloading iron and steel, and communicating with crane operators. They also employ machinery for cutting, bending, and welding steel and iron. For large-scale buildings, steel and iron are some of the most important reinforcing materials.
For those who work with structural iron and steel, falls are the most common cause of fatal workplace accidents.
13. Delivery drivers
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| Photo: Metrobi |
BLS Category: Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
Fatal injury rate: 27 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 966
Salary: $29,610
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents
Deliveries are made by drivers who load and unload vehicles before driving them locally. These workers typically transport cargo, food, laundry, or other items to homes, businesses, or distribution centers. Additionally, they might get in touch with clients to arrange deliveries, collect money for purchases, and handle paperwork like delivery signatures.
For truck drivers and salespeople, traffic accidents are the leading cause of workplace fatalities.
14. Firefighting supervisors
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| Photo: Cleveland Scene |
BLS Category: First-line supervisors of fire fighting and prevention workers
Fatal injury rate: 20 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 14
Salary: $82,010
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents
The work of firefighters must be supervised and coordinated by firefighting supervisors. Fire suppression and prevention are part of this work. These supervisors' duties also include communicating with and dispatching emergency vehicles, assessing the size and severity of fires, hiring, evaluating, and maintaining firefighters.
Traffic collisions are the most frequent cause of workplace fatalities for firefighting supervisors, followed by fires and explosions.
15. Power linemen
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| Photo: thecoolist |
BLS Category: Electrical power-line installers and repairers
Fatal injury rate: 20 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 29
Salary: $71,960
Most common fatal accidents: Exposure to harmful substances or environments
Installing and maintaining the overhead and underground power lines that supply homes and businesses with electricity is the job of power linemen. These workers test, install, or otherwise maintain electrical equipment while driving power maintenance equipment to job sites, climbing electrical poles or making use of bucket trucks.
Electrocution is the most frequent cause of death for power line workers.
Conclusion
You may be entitled to compensation in addition to workers' compensation benefits if you or a loved one experienced a serious workplace injury or fatality.
Other than the employer, other drivers, third-party subcontractors, and manufacturers of hazardous or subpar products are all responsible for some accidents.
Occasionally, an employer's deliberate actions may result in a workplace injury, in which case you may be able to directly sue them.
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