A serious workplace injury can happen in virtually any job, but certain career paths are much more dangerous than others.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported the workplace death toll increased slightly in 2018 compared to 2017, resulting in 5,250 employee deaths. In addition, based on the data, CNBC revealed the most dangerous jobs in America.
The 10 Most Hazardous Jobs
- Loggers
- Fishers*
- Pilots/flight engineers*
- Roofers
- Garbage/recycling collectors*
- Driver/sales workers and truck drivers*
- Agricultural workers*
- Steelworkers
- First-line supervisors of construction*
- First-line supervisors of landscaping/groundskeeping*
There was a common thread among fatalities in the industries: transportation. In the seven careers with an asterisk above, transportation incidents were the number one cause of fatal accidents.
Of the death-causing accidents, transportation lead the way, followed by slips, trips, and falls and contact with objects/equipment.
Just How Fatal Is Transportation?
Transportation accidents lead to 2,080 deaths, which accounts for 40% of all work-related deaths.
Not only was transportation the number one death-causing, work-related injury across the most dangerous jobs, transportation services, which is composed of drivers/sales workers and truck drivers, was the occupation group with the highest death toll in 2018, with 966 fatalities.
What Does This Mean for You?
According to the statistics, if you work in any of the above positions/industries, you have a heightened risk of injury. Even if your job isn’t on the list, you could still get injured on-the-job, work-related injuries can happen to anyone.
An injured party must inform their employer within 90 days of sustaining a work-related injury. All employees have a right to a safe workplace.
