Top ten most dangerous jobs

Each year ISHN (Industrial Safety & Hygiene News) provides a list of the jobs where workers are most at risk of fatal injuries according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest annual report on fatal occupational injuries, which reflects data from 2022. The jobs often involve working in harsh weather conditions, working alone or in isolated areas, and working with job-specific heavy equipment with little or no formal safety training. Many are relatively low paid. Three of the top ten have annual incomes at or below the national average and only two have salaries above $60,000. Transportation incidents were by far the deadliest, composing 37.7 percent (2,066) of all work-related deaths, a 4.2 percent increase from 2021 (1,982).

How are the most dangerous industries defined? The chances of a fatality are best understood and compared when the fatal work injury rate, calculated per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, is used. In 2022, the national fatal work injury rate was 3.7 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers. The rate of the top ten dangerous jobs ranged from 20.0 to 100.7 per 100,000 workers.

1. Logging workers
   • Rate: 100.7 per 100,000 workers
   • Total: 54 fatal injuries
   • Trend: Fatality rate up 19 percent compared to 2017

   Most (80 percent) of fatal logging injuries involve "contact with objects or equipment," according to the BLS data. Extremely heavy logs and massive workload, frequent poor weather conditions, operating specialized machinery with on-the-job training, and isolated work have made this industry at or near the top of the most dangerous list for many years.

2. Roofers
   • Rate: 57.5 per 100,000 workers
   • Total: 105 fatal injuries
   • Trend: Fatality rate up 27 percent compared to 2017

   Falls are the leading cause of death among roofers, who have the highest fatal accident rate in the construction industry. Working at great heights and in various weather conditions, they also face environmental risks from working outside and being exposed to the sun on hot days, which can lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

3. Fishing and Hunting Workers
   • Rate: 50.9 per 100,000 workers
   • Total: 16 fatal injuries
   • Fatality rate down 35 percent compared to 2017
   • High 4.2 non-fatal injuries per 100 workers (2.7 national average)

   Often working in remote areas, using specialized equipment, and learning through on-the-job experience, commercial fishers and hunters face brutal working conditions without easy access to medical care. Transportation-related incidents were the leading cause of injuries and fatalities.

4. Helpers, Construction Trades
   • Rate: 38.5 per 100,000 workers
   • Total: 20 fatal injuries
   • Trend: Fatality rate up 145 percent compared to 2017

   With the alarming spike of 145 percent in the fatality rate since 2017, this category moved up to #4 from #9 last year. Falls, caught in or between objects, struck by objects, and electrocutions are commonly called the "fatal four."

5. Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers
   • Rate: 35.9 per 100,000 workers
   • Total: 72 fatal injuries
   • Trend: Fatality rate down 26 percent compared to 2017
   • High 5.4 non-fatal injuries for every 100 workers (2.7 national average)

   Almost every workplace death was attributed to a transportation incident. Greatest risk comes when traveling in private planes and helicopters rather than commercial aircraft.

6. Driver/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers
   • Rate: 30.4 per 100,000 workers
   • Total: 1,115 fatal injuries
   • Trend: Fatality rate up 13 percent compared to 2017; jobs are expected to jump 10 percent in the coming years, as demand increases for deliveries - the highest growth of all careers on this list

   With 3.5 million workers, this sector has both the highest number of employees and the most fatal injuries. Going by the sheer number of on-the-job deaths, the classification was by far the most dangerous. It also has a relatively high non-fatal injury rate of 3.5 percent. Four in five of the deaths were attributed to transportation incidents, more than double the national average.

7. Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
   • Rate: 22.6 per 100,000 workers
   • Total: 22 fatal injuries
   • Trend: Fatality rate down 35 percent compared to 2017; this classification is expected to experience 8.8 percent growth in jobs in the coming years - the second highest of all the careers on this list

   Transportation incidents, including motor vehicle crashes, collectors being hit by their trucks, or falls from moving vehicles, are the leading causes of death. On the job informal safety training is common.

8. Structural Iron and Steel Workers
   • Rate: 21.3 per 100,000 workers
   • Total: 14 fatal injuries
   • Trend: Fatality rate down 36 percent compared to 2017
   • High non-fatal injury rate of 3.7 percent (2.7 percent is national average)

   While this category dropped from #5 last year, falls remain the leading cause of death.

9. Underground Mining Machine Operators
   • Rate: 20.1 per 100,000 workers
   • Total: 8 fatal injuries
   • Trend: Fatality rate up 72 percent compared to 2017

   This relatively small occupation faces great risks from operating heavy-duty mining equipment, cave collapses, and underground explosions.

10. Miscellaneous Agricultural Workers
    • Rate: 20 per 100,000 workers
    • Total: 146 fatal injuries
    • Trend: Fatality rate up 22 percent compared to 2017

    This sector has been on and off the top ten list, but always on the top 20. Agricultural workers face many on-the-job hazards, including heat exposure, heavy-duty equipment, dangerous chemicals in fertilizers and pesticides, large animals, and little formal training.