Every day people go to work and put their lives at risk, whether they are driving a truck, working construction, or flying a plane. But what jobs are the most dangerous? That can be determined by looking at the fatality rate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates the fatality rate of a job by taking the number of deaths per 100,000 full-time workers. This method ensures that every profession is represented correctly no matter how large or small the industry. These are the 10 most dangerous jobs of 2019, as reported by Newsweek:
1. LOGGING WORKERS
The occupation with the highest fatality rate is logging workers, with 135.9 fatal work injuries per 100,000 workers, which equates to 91 total fatalities over the course of a year. This makes logging the most hazardous job of 2019. Not only is the job physically challenging, it involves heavy-duty chainsaws and falling trees, putting the workers at a huge risk each day.
2. FISHERS AND RELATED FISHING WORKERS
Commercial fishing is far from the relaxing days at the lake that you might picture. As the second most dangerous job of 2019, commercial fisherman have a work fatality rate of 86 deaths per 100,000 workers. The cause of the deaths can usually be attributed to weather conditions, transportation accidents, or failing machinery.
3. AIRCRAFT PILOTS AND FLIGHT ENGINEERS
While driving is often thought of as more dangerous than flying, when it comes to fatality rates on the job, the pilots rank higher. On average, the occupation has a 55.5 fatal injury rate, which breaks down to 75 fatalities in a year, and almost all of them were caused by plane crashes.
4. ROOFERS
Since their job puts them off the ground for hours each day, it’s not too much of a surprise that roofing work is rated as the fourth most dangerous job. The fatality rate for this profession is 48.6, with more than 100 fatalities each year. As suspected, most of these are caused by falling.
5. REFUSE AND RECYCLABLE MATERIAL COLLECTORS
Collecting recyclables and trash is not only a necessary job, but it is also a dangerous one. Its fatality rate comes in at 34.1, and most of these are caused by either the worker or the truck getting struck by another vehicle.
6. STRUCTURAL IRON AND STEELWORKERS
Working with iron and steel beams and cranes all day is no doubt hazardous. Even though the materials they work with are heavy, most of the 25.1 deaths per 100,000 workers are caused by falling or slipping.
7. TRUCK DRIVERS AND OTHER DRIVERS
You know all too well how dangerous it can be to get behind the wheel. Even just driving to your office puts you at risk. So, imagine how much that risk increases when you drive all day long for your job. Due to traffic accidents, truck drivers, and other driving professions, there is a 24.7 fatal work injury rate. This equates to an alarming 918 fatalities each year—the highest number of actual fatalities in any job.
8. FARMERS, RANCHERS, AND AGRICULTURAL MANAGERS
Even with the technological advances in the past decade, farmers and ranchers still have to work with a lot of heavy equipment and machinery. They also work with a variety of motorized vehicles, such as tractors and lawnmowers, which are the main culprit in the 23.1 fatality work rate for the profession.
9. SUPERVISORS OF CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
Surprisingly, construction workers themselves did not make the top 10 most dangerous jobs of 2019, but their supervisors did. The job has a fatality rate of 18, with falls being responsible for half of the 134 actual fatalities. The other main risk factor for this job is being hit by another object.
10. GROUNDS MAINTENANCE WORKERS
You may be surprised to learn that finishing off the top 10 dangerous jobs list is groundskeepers and gardeners. It may seem simple enough, but groundskeepers are consistently exposed to the elements and sharp tools, giving them a fatality rate of 17.4. To put it in perspective, even though this is the last job on this list, that is still five times higher than the average work fatality rate.
Employee safety is a serious concern, no matter what industry you are in. At Appspace, we help companies raise safety awareness with safety signage. Because it’s a visual communication tool, it grabs your employees’ attention and takes your safety communication to a new level. To learn more about how we can help you make your workplace safer, contact us now.
