Most Dangerous Jobs 2011
10. Driver/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers
Fatality rate: 21.8/100,000
Total deaths: 683
Annual mean salary: $40,410
Truck drivers travel long distances for many hours, increasing the likelihood of highway accidents.
9. Refuse and Recycling Collectors
Fatality rate: 29.8/100,000
Total deaths: 26
Annual mean salary: $34,310
Despite more comprehensive safety measures that have helped to lower the fatality rate since 2006, garbage collectors are still exposed to harmful chemicals and dangerous machinery.
8. Roofers
Fatality rate: 32.4/100,000
Total deaths: 57
Annual mean salary: $37,880
Falls from ladders, scaffolds, and roofs are the main cause of fatal accidents in this occupation.
7. Mining Machine Operators
Fatality rate: 38.7/100,000
Total deaths: 23
Annual mean salary: $44,010
Mining machine operators work with machines that rip the coal, metal, and rock from the mine and then load it onto conveyors. Because they are working in tunnels and mine shafts, the dangers include the possibility of a cave-in, mine fires, explosions, or exposure to harmful gases.
6. Coal Miners
Fatality rate: 38.9/100,000
Total deaths: 43
Annual mean salary: $43,240
Coal miners face the same dangers as mining machine operators: the possibility of cave-in, mine fires, explosions, or exposure to harmful gases. In addition, dust generated from drilling places miners at risk for developing lung diseases.
5. Farmers and Ranchers
Fatality rate: 41.4/100,000
Total deaths: 300
Annual mean salary: $42,710
Farming and ranching may sound tame, but working with heavy machinery, harmful chemicals, and large animals makes this job especially dangerous.
4. Miscellaneous Extraction Workers
Fatality rate: 64.2/100,000
Total deaths: 26
Annual mean salary: $43,870
(Note: Salary includes construction and extraction occupations.)
Extraction workers examine and inspect work progress, equipment, and construction sites to verify safety and to ensure that specifications are met. The tasks of extraction workers involve physical labor while overseeing highway and heavy-construction projects, tunnel and shaft excavations, and demolition sites. Use of heavy power tools and exposure to hazardous materials contribute to the danger of this job.
3. Pilots and Flight Engineers
Fatality rate: 70.6/100,000
Total deaths: 78
Annual mean salary: $115,300
Particularly at risk of fatal injuries are test pilots who fly new or experimental planes, crop-duster pilots who may be exposed to harmful chemicals, and those who operate rescue helicopters.
2. Logging Workers
Fatality rate: 91.9/100,000
Total deaths: 59
Annual mean salary: $34,510
Responsible for cutting and hauling trees, logging workers can suffer mortal injury from falling branches and heavy machinery. Bad weather is also a contributing factor.
1. Fishing-Related Workers
Fatality rate: 116/100,000
Total deaths: 29
Annual mean salary: $27,880
This group is at risk of getting entangled in nets and other gear, or getting swept overboard. Additionally, injured workers are far from medical attention.
Most Dangerous Jobs 2011 was provided by CNBC.com
