America's Top Five Dangerous Jobs

The next time you find yourself complaining about your desk job, be thankful that you don’t have one of the top five most dangerous jobs in America. Bad bosses, cold coffee, and broken copy machines have nothing on these working conditions.

Commercial fishing

In June of 2011, a rogue wave killed two fishermen off the coast of Alaska. Death from violent waters is just one risk associated with getting your favorite fish from the ocean onto your plate. Fishing, especially Alaskan shell fishing, is consistently ranked as America’s deadliest job, with a fatality rate of 116 per 100,000 workers. Deaths are generally the result of bad weather, capsizing boats, workers being pulled overboard, and worker fatigue caused by long hours and the strenuous nature of the job.

Loggers

Though it has long been a part of the American heritage and is a multibillion-dollar industry, logging is extremely dangerous. In December of 2001, a 37-year-old logger died on the job when a tree fell on him in Otsego County, New York. In an incident like this, the family of the man could have contacted a Syracuse personal injury lawyer to see if their loss was a result of wrongful death. Unfortunately though, this is not an isolated accident in the logging industry, which has a fatality rate of 92 per 100,000 workers. A common danger is broken branches on the tops of trees, which cannot be seen by the loggers. These branches are called “widow-makers” because of their propensity to drop and hit loggers on the head and cause deaths.

Airplane pilots

Although flying is considered safer than driving for passengers, this is not so for pilots who find themselves in the air on a daily basis. While the last fatal American airliner crash killed 50 people near Buffalo, New York in February of 2009, private plane crashes have killed approximately 1500 additional people since that time. Mechanical error, pilot error, and weather all lead to the job’s fatality rate of 71 per 100,000 workers.

Farmers

It may seem that farmers lead idyllic lives planting and harvesting crops; however, accidents caused by dangerous livestock and heavy equipment causes a fatality rate of 41 per 100,000 workers and places this industry solidly into the top five of America’s most dangerous jobs. The most common accidents are related to tractor rollovers. Just last year, an Illinois farmer was crushed to death by a tractor, and a Wisconsin farmer was run over by a skid loader.

Miners

In April of 2010, the biggest coal mining disaster in 40 years occurred in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia. The blast killed 29 of the 31 miners involved in it, contributing to mining’s fatality rate of 39 per 100,000 workers. Danger occurs when methane gas escapes into tunnels and mineshafts, leading to explosions within the mine. Miners are also at risk for mine cave-ins, which can trap many miners in confined spaces.

Next time you feel like complaining about how your job will be the death of you, remember that other career paths are actually inherently life threatening. Nevertheless, anyone can be hurt on the job and it may be crucial to contact a Syracuse accident attorney if you sustain an injury from an employer’s negligence. Just remember that some men and women risk their lives everyday to make sure you have the luxury of dining on a halibut dinner atop your oak dinner table.

As a career advisor who likes to emphasize the importance of safety in the workplace, Sarah Leibnitz recommends the Syracuse law firm of Bottar Leone for legal representation in workplace-related accidents. The firm has decades of experience helping injured workers receive compensation for medical bills, long-term health care needs, and loss of income.