David McNew/Getty Images
- Some of the most dangerous jobs have a much higher risk of fatal or non-fatal injuries than others.
- Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we found the 34 jobs that had the highest rates of fatal injuries in 2016.
Some jobs have a much higher risk of fatal or non-fatal injuries than others.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics documented how many people died on the job in 2016 for the equivalent of every 100,000 people who held that job.
To find the most dangerous jobs in America, we identified the jobs from the Bureau's list with the highest fatal injury rate. Each of these jobs has a fatal injury rate above the national average for all workers of 3.6 per 100,000 full-time workers.
Overall, the greatest number of fatal work injuries resulted from transportation incidents, followed by violence or other injuries by persons or animals; falls, slips, and trips; and contact with objects and equipment.
Here are the 34 most dangerous jobs in America, along with their 2016 fatal and non-fatal injury rates per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, and a description of what workers in these jobs do from the Department of Labor's O*NET careers database.
34. Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfittersJoe Raedle/Getty ImagesWhat they do: Lay out, install, or maintain pipes, plumbing, and sewer systems.
Fatal injury rate (per 100,000 workers): 4.1
Non-fatal injury rate (per 100,000 workers): 1,629
33. Hand laborers and freight, stock, and material moversJustin Sullivan/Getty
What they do: Manually move freight, stock, or other materials or perform other general labor.
Fatal injury rate (per 100,000 workers): 5.2
Non-fatal injury rate (per 100,000 workers): 3,068
31 (tie). FirefightersJustin Sullivan/Getty
What they do: Control and extinguish fires or respond to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk.
Fatal injury rate (per 100,000 workers): 6.1
Non-fatal injury rate (per 100,000 workers): 927
31 (tie). Industrial truck and tractor operatorsREUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva
What they do: Operate industrial trucks or tractors equipped to move materials around a warehouse, storage yard, factory, construction site, or similar location.
Fatal injury rate (per 100,000 workers): 6.1
Non-fatal injury rate (per 100,000 workers): 1,063
30. Security guards and gaming surveillance officersChip Somodevilla/Getty Images
What they do: Guard, patrol, or monitor premises to prevent theft, violence, or infractions of rules.
Fatal injury rate (per 100,000 workers): 6.2
Non-fatal injury rate (per 100,000 workers): 824
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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