10 Most Dangerous Jobs in America
We'll bet you'd never guess which occupations come in at #2 and #1.
No matter what job you have, you probably feel like you qualify for workman's compensation. But despite modern regulations and worker protections, some professions are truly physically dangerous. Personal injury lawyers at johnfitch.com looked at the number of non-fatal injuries in every industry per 100,000 full-time employees working 40-hour weeks. According to the survey, these are the 10 most hazardous jobs in America. We'll bet you'd never guess which occupations come in at #2 and #1.
The tenth-most-dangerous job in America is in the "manufactured home" (i.e. mobile home) industry, with 7.8 injuries per 100,000 full-time employees. "Much like many manufacturing jobs, this industry will involve heavy machinery, tools, and materials that could potentially cause harm," the attorneys explain.
Couriers and delivery service employees incur 8 injuries per 100,000 employees working 40-hour weeks. Road accidents are largely responsible.
In iron foundries, there are 8.1 injuries per 100,000 full-time workers, the research found. Considering the job involves heavy machinery and molten metals, the discovery is perhaps unsurprising.
It's also not a shock that people who work in the country's prisons face one of the highest injury rates: 8.4 per 100,000 workers.
Operators of passenger boats and commercial vessels on lakes, rivers, or intracoastal waterways face numerous hazards. That's borne out in the profession's 9.7 injuries per 100,000 employees working 40-hour weeks.
People who work in nursing and residential care facilities "can often be faced with unforeseen circumstances that could lead to injury or illness," the attorneys say. In this industry, there are 10.3 injuries per 100,000 full-time employees.
Although ski vacations look great on Instagram, the truth is, skiing is one of the most dangerous sports in the world—there are 2.6 injuries for every 1,000 skiers, the firm reports. Ski instructors, slope maintenance workers, and ski-lift operators are subject to the same dangerous conditions, resulting in 10.5 injuries per 100,000 full-time workers.
Ambulance workers incur 10.5 injuries for every 100,000 full-time employees, making this the third-most-dangerous profession in the country. "When attending emergencies, these workers can often find themselves in situations where there could be hazards, not only from the environment but from people themselves," the lawyers explain.
Huh? Aside from recent negative publicity about "forever chemicals" leaching out of plastics and into the human body, this factoid might convince you to kick your bottled-water habit: With 10.6 injuries per 100,000 workers, people who work in bottled water manufacturing have one of the most dangerous jobs in America. "The process and machinery involved cause pose potential risks and injury," the lawyers explain. "It's been reported that workers can experience spinal damage from the constant heavy lifting. There have also been times where pallets of water some weighing up to 4,000lbs have fallen and severely injured or killed staff."
t's another situation where those cute Instagram accounts don't tell the whole story: In America, People who work in veterinary jobs incur the most injuries—13.8 per every 100,000 full-time workers. Next time you see a vet's cuddly social-media story, spare them an extra Like.
