Whether your career comes to you, or you groom yourself to work in a specific industry, all jobs come with risk. But some are much more physically demanding and dangerous than others.
The latest findings from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 5,250 workers’ deaths occurred in 2017, which rounds out to 3.5 deaths per 100,000 employees. The top methods in which these tragic events occurred were transportation-related or fatal contact with objects or equipment. The most substantial singular increases centered around employees getting caught part of their body caught in running machinery (a 39% increase) or workers getting hit by flying equipment or material (a 17% increase).
Many of the United State’s 10 most dangerous jobs are ones that are blue-collar and socially necessary for our country to thrive. These blue-collar industries don’t often receive the respect they deserve for how important they remain to the fabric of communities. Let’s go over them in descending order. The fatal injury numbers are relative to the industries’ number of workers and injuries per 100,000 full-time employees.
10. First-line landscaping, lawn service and groundskeeping supervisors
- The most common reason for workplace injuries: Transportation-related accidents
- Total workplace deaths: 142
9. First-line construction and extraction supervisors
- The most common reason for workplace injuries: Transportation-related accidents
- Total workplace deaths: 144
8. Structural iron and steelworkers
- The most common reason for workplace injuries: slips and falls
- Total workplace deaths: 15
7. Agricultural workers (farmers, ranchers, etc.)
- The most common reason for workplace injuries: Transportation-related accidents
- Total workplace deaths: 257
6. On-the-road sales workers and truck drivers
- The most common reason for workplace injuries: Transportation-related accidents
- Total workplace deaths: 966
5. Waste and recyclable collectors
- The most common reason for workplace injuries: Transportation-related accidents
- Total workplace deaths: 37
4. Roofing professionals
- The most common reason for workplace injuries: Slips and falls
- Total workplace deaths: 96
3. Pilots and flight engineers
- The most common reason for workplace injuries: Transportation-related accidents
- Total workplace deaths: 70
2. Fishing industry workers
- The most common reason for workplace injuries: Transportation-related accidents
- Total workplace deaths: 30
1. Logging Workers
- The most common reason for workplace injuries: contact with objects or equipment
- Total workplace deaths: 74
The demographic that fell victim to the most workplace fatalities were men ages 45-64.