MORE DANGEROUS JOBS

MERCHANT MARINERS

Another sea-faring occupation that is included in the top most

dangerous jobs; merchant mariner has 23 deaths and 5 injuries per

100,000 workers. Just like commercial fishermen, these seafaring

workers are at sea for months on ends before they are able to see

land or a port again. Most of what they do involves working within

the ship’s broilers and other equipment. Because of the strenuous

environment, they also have to battle with depression and

other psychological issues.

MECHANIC

For a car dependent society, the mechanic profession is crucial.

However, this profession comes with a bag full of dangers involving

extremely heavy objects, toxic fumes, and long arduous work hours.

HIGH-RISE WINDOW CLEANERS

High-rise window cleaners have to work in very dangerous conditions

due to possible wind gusts at such high altitudes. If workers are not

careful, strong wind drafts are enough to jeopardize their lives.

A fall from such altitudes is a guaranteed death.

TAXI DRIVERS AND CHAUFFEURS

Taxi drivers and chauffeurs have a fatal injury rate of 24.2 out of

100,000. The extreme dangers involved in these jobs are due to the

sheer number of hours logged by taxi drivers and chauffeurs.

Oftentimes, they have to work more than 12 hours a day and most of

their work hours are conducted at night, increasing the odds of being

involved in some sort of accident. They can also experience stress and

fatigue due to heavy traffic and other road conditions.

STRUCTURAL AND STEEL WORKERS

There is a high fatality rate among professional structural and

steel workers due to falling debris; and the equipment and materials used.

In 2008, fatalities in this profession were pegged at 47 per 100,000

steel workers making it the fourth most dangerous jobs at that time.

MINERS

The good news is that, according to the United States Department of

Labour Statistics, mining incidents have been on a declining trend.

Nevertheless, mining is still and extremely dangerous job with 35

fatalities recorded in 2012 (an improvement from 73 fatalities recorded

in 2006). Workers are still exposed to harsh working conditions and are

still susceptible to cave-ins and respiratory diseases.

ELECTRICAL POWER LINES AND REPAIRMEN

The imminent dangers of this occupation are in the injuries that can occur

from falling off light poles and towers. Since they are also working with

high-voltage power lines, there is also the danger of electrocution.

FARMER AND RANCHERS

In the United States and other developed countries where state-of-the-art

machinery are employed in farming, there are 38 deaths per 100,000 workers.

These fatalities stem from occupational accidents due to tractors and

machinery used to plant, cultivate and harvest crops. In third world countries,

they lack these occupational hazards since many still use the traditional

methods of farming which involves the use of a water buffalo or other

large animal. However, the risks involved besides the back-breaking labour

usually come from the harsh exposure to the sun, which can cause

skin cancer.