11 Most Dangerous Jobs in the US
The most dangerous professions are generally the occupations with a higher death rate (e.g. loggers) than jobs where more total workers are killed (e.g. truck drivers) but at a less frequent rate.
In this blog post, we’ll describe the 11 most dangerous jobs in the U.S. which have the highest rate of fatal injury rates and death per worker population.
Let’s dig into the data.
The 11 Most Dangerous Jobs by Fatal Injury Rate
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), of the 5,486 workplace fatalities in 2022, the following occupations are the most to least dangerous in terms of actual fatal injuries reported:
- Transportation and Material Moving: The deadliest jobs by injury rate with nearly 30% of occupational fatalities involve motor vehicles of all types from delivery drivers to truck drivers.
- Construction Workers and Extraction Operations: The construction trades category includes workers such as construction laborers, electrical power-line installers, structural iron and steel workers, pipe fitters, miners, roofers, and sheet metal workers. Over 19% of occupational fatalities are attributed to this group.
- Installation, Maintenance, and Repair: Those who install, maintain, and repair heavy equipment used on the job make up 8% of the nation’s work-related fatal accidents.
- Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance: Groundskeepers, recyclable material collectors and workers in these occupations account for slightly more than 6% of the annual workplace fatalities.
- Management: Occupations in this group included financial, computer, architecture, engineering, legal, entertainment, media, and healthcare. Workers in these professions account for about 6% of fatal work injuries.
- Protective Services: These jobs include corrections officers, firefighters, police, and other types of law enforcement personnel. This group also loses about 6% of its workforce annually.
- Production: These workers operate machinery or equipment used to manufacture and assemble goods or to distribute energy. They include fabricators, machinists, welders, woodworkers, and laboratory technicians, accounting for 5% of worker fatalities.
- Farming, Fishing, and Forestry: This group includes agricultural workers, those who manage forests and public lands, and loggers. Only about 4% of these workers die each year, and only 1% of the annual fatal work accidents involve loggers.
- Sales: Just under 4% of workers in sales and related occupations die on the job each year.
- Food Preparation and Serving: Fatalities in the food preparation and service industries are rare and affect only 2% of the workers.
- Personal Care and Service: Workers in these occupations tend to the personal needs of humans and animals. This group is exposed to the least danger on the job and adds only 1% to the annual workplace fatality totals.
The Most Dangerous Jobs Based on Deaths per Worker Population
The farming, fishing, and forestry occupations include logging workers, who have by far the highest fatal work injury rate per 100,000 full-time workers at 100.7.
Roofing workers place a rather distant second with 57.5 worker deaths per 100,000 full-time workers.
It is important to remember this however:
The occupational fatality statistics above do not factor in how the number of fatalities relates to the total number of workers within a particular occupation.
The 2022 BLS numbers show an average fatality rate for all workers in all occupations of 3.7 per 100,000 full-time workers.
When the statistics are considered in terms of the number of fatalities per 100,000 full-time workers in each occupation, the outdoor and agricultural occupations pose the most danger to workers.
- Farming, fishing, forestry – 23.5 deaths
- Transportation and material moving – 14.6 deaths
- Construction and extraction – 13 deaths
- Protective services – 10.2 deaths
- Installation, maintenance, and repair – 8.8 deaths
But why are these
Dangerous Workplace Exposures That Cause Worker Injuries
The most dangerous workplace exposure is not unique to any one industry and is not the kind of risk that first pops into mind when contemplating dangers at work.
‘Transportation Incidents’ are responsible for twice as many workplace fatalities as any other workplace exposure. A transportation incident is a work-related motor vehicle accident.
In 2022, the BLS (via OSHA) reported the following numbers of fatal workplace accidents by event or exposure:
- Transportation incidents – 2,066
- Falls, slips, trips – 865
- Contact with objects and equipment – 738
- Injuries by persons or animals – 849
- Harmful substance or environment – 839
- Fires and explosions – 107
There are also many unsafe work practices that can lead to a fatality. In the construction industry, falls cause almost twice as many fatalities as transportation incidents.
Coming into contact with an object or equipment is the most frequent cause of death for loggers.
For real estate workers, the biggest risk of death on the job is from exposure to harmful substances or environments.
Characteristics of Workers Who Suffer Fatal Injuries While Performing Dangerous Jobs
The worker who is most likely to experience a fatal work injury in the United States is a white, middle-aged man, according to BLS statistics.
A transportation incident will most likely be the cause of death.
Males make up 92% of the workers who die each year in work-related accidents.
Men in the 55-to-64-year-old age group have the highest incidence of fatalities, accounting for 21% of the annual total.
After transportation incidents, the second most frequent cause of death for this age group is falls. Men aged 35 to 44 years have the third highest on-the-job death rate., with fatal exposure to harmful substances or environments ranking second behind motor vehicle accidents.
Though transportation incidents are also the most frequent cause of death for female workers, the second most common reason women die at work is due to violence or other injuries by persons or animals.
Dangerous Jobs Require Safe Working Conditions in California
The law requires California employers to implement injury and illness prevention programs (IIPP). These programs must instruct employees on safe work practices and encourage them to recognize and report workplace hazards. Employers are not allowed to retaliate against employees who report hazards and must remediate hazardous conditions promptly.
Right to Refuse Hazardous Work
Workers may legally refuse to perform hazardous work or work under hazardous conditions if the following two conditions exist:
- Performing the work would violate Cal/OSHA regulations
and - Performing the work would create a real and apparent hazard to a worker or co-workers
An employer is not allowed to punish an employee who properly refuses to perform work under hazardous conditions. If an employer fails to correct a hazardous condition, the next step may be to file a complaint with the state.
Right to File a Claim
The State of California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is the state agency responsible for enforcing workplace health and safety requirements. Workers have the right to file a complaint with Cal/OSHA about workplace hazards. Any employers found in violation may receive citations and orders to correct the problems.
If an employer takes retaliatory action against a worker who reports hazardous working conditions, the worker may file a claim with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE). Employers may not threaten, demote, discharge, or otherwise negatively impact an employee for exercising the legal right to a safe workplace.
Where to Get Help for Injuries Caused by Dangerous Working Conditions
No matter how potentially dangerous a job may be, employers are required to provide a safe and healthful work environment for employees. When accidents occur due to neglected safety standards, employers are responsible for worker injuries and may face additional legal consequences for violating safety regulations.
Curtis Legal Group is a northern California personal injury law firm that represents workers who are injured on the job. The workplace injury attorneys at Curtis Legal Group help injured employees obtain the compensation they are entitled to from all available sources. Discuss your work injury claim during a free consultation at their offices in Sacramento, Modesto, Stockton, and Fresno.