10 Jobs with the Most Workplace Accidents in the United States
Written by Michael Purser | Edited by Nate Bortz
Everyone faces risks at work. They might be mild or infrequent. Or they could be constant and lethal. Whether you’re an accountant or a circus daredevil, workplace injuries are just a fact of life.
That’s why the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) exists. OSHA seeks to minimize on-the-job hazards and protect workers.
Safety education is one of the administration’s most powerful tools. Knowing the risks better equips you to avoid injuries, prevent dangerous situations and evaluate hazards.
Knowing which jobs are more dangerous will help you make informed career decisions. This article lists the 10 riskiest professions in the country and suggests online safety training courses that can protect you from major hazards.
Defining Dangerous
As a single word, dangerous isn’t very specific. A poorly placed coffee table in a clinic waiting room presents a tripping hazard. But that isn’t the same as the danger posed by an unguarded edge overlooking a vat of molten iron.
For this article, we will define danger in terms of fatal accidents per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers as provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That creates a baseline for evaluating major occupations against one another.
Any number of factors might contribute to overall occupational danger. Hazards might include adverse working conditions like extreme heat or confined spaces. Workers might be exposed to toxic substances or fantastically lethal forces. Many tools, ranging from arc welders to unassuming ladders, can cause catastrophic injuries when used incorrectly.
There are probably deadlier jobs not listed here. For instance, blindfolded chainsaw juggling may have a much higher fatality rate than any occupations we mention, but there isn’t enough data for a meaningful comparison. The data also doesn’t include some government roles. You won’t see soldiers or undercover secret agents on the list.
You also won’t see soldiers on this list because, according to U.S. Army statistics, the mortality rate for active-duty soldiers was only 13.4 per 100,000 in 2019, which doesn’t make the top 10.
For less serious risks, BLS also provides statistics for the rate of non-fatal work injuries and illnesses in private industries. A job doesn’t have to kill you to be dangerous, but we won’t be using those numbers for this list.
The 10 Most Dangerous Jobs in the United States
This list is ordered from most dangerous to least dangerous using 2022 BLS fatal work injury rates. Occupations are general groups of more specialized roles. For instance, pizza delivery drivers and long-haul truckers are both represented by the Drivers/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers entry below.
1. Logging Workers
Everything about logging is perilous. Loggers wield powerful destructive equipment, which they use to knock over huge objects weighing tons, which they load onto large vehicles in isolated environments before driving their unwieldy cargo long distances over challenging roads.
Fatal Injuries per 100,000: 100.7
Leading Cause of Fatalities: Contact with Objects and Equipment
2. Roofers
Roofs are inherently risky environments. They are elevated above the ground with no built-in safety infrastructure. A roofer may work on slick or degraded surfaces. Roofing also involves transporting heavy loads at awkward angles. Fall protection infractions usually top the list of OSHA’s top 10 cited violations and falls are the number-one source of fatal roofing accidents.
Fatal Injuries per 100,000: 57.5
Leading Cause of Fatalities: Falls, Slips and Trips
3. Fishing and Hunting Workers
Don’t worry, the prey isn’t the problem and the fish aren’t fighting back. The major threat isn’t even self-inflicted gunshots or friendly fire. Surprisingly, getting to and from the jobsite claims more lives than the work itself. The sea claims many fishermen. And more than one hunter has met an end while traveling in adverse conditions.
Fatal Injuries per 100,000: 50.9
Leading Cause of Fatalities: Transportation Incidents
4. Helpers in Construction Trades
Construction workers face a diverse set of hazards. Construction sites are littered with heavy machinery, unfinished electrical circuits, scaffolds and ledges, falling debris and uneven surfaces. Constant vigilance is required to keep track of all the potential threats present on site.
Fatal Injuries per 100,000: 38.5
Leading Cause of Fatalities: Falls, Slips and Trips/Exposure to Harmful Substances or Environments
5. Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers
Flying on commercial jetliners may be the safest way to travel on a per-mile basis, but smaller aircraft have much higher rates of accidents. Planes and helicopters are complex machines. Engineers may be exposed to chemical hazards like combustible fuel or even risk being sucked into a jet engine while working on complicated mechanical systems.
Fatal Injuries per 100,000: 35.9
Leading Cause of Fatalities: Transportation Incidents
6. Drivers/Sales Workers and Truck Drivers
It comes as no surprise that transportation incidents are the leading cause of death among transportation professionals. Drivers spend all day in and around moving vehicles — including some of the largest commercial vehicles on the road. If you add behaviors like distracted driving or excessive fatigue, professional drivers face even greater risks than the everyday motorist.
Fatal Injuries per 100,000: 30.4
Leading Cause of Fatalities: Transportation Incidents
7. Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Crashes and other transportation incidents are also the leading cause of fatal accidents among garbage collectors. But that’s not all. The materials these workers collect may be inherently hazardous, like broken glass. These vehicles are also equipped with powerful compactors that can crush inattentive operators.
Fatal Injuries per 100,000: 22.6
Leading Cause of Fatalities: Transportation Incidents
8. Structural Iron and Steel Workers
These aren’t the kinds of steel workers who handle molten metal. Instead, these professionals work on huge structures like bridges and skyscrapers. These unfinished, elevated positions are not secure in the best conditions. When a fall does occur from these staggering heights, the drop is often deadly.
Fatal Injuries per 100,000: 21.3
Leading Cause of Fatalities: Slips, Trips and Falls
9. Underground Mining Machine Operators
These professionals work on huge, powerful machines chewing through solid rock in confined spaces deep under the surface of the earth. Fortunately, miners (both above and below ground) are covered by robust standards. Even when rules are followed, the massive forces at work in a mine can quickly turn ideal, controlled circumstances into nightmare scenarios.
Fatal Injuries per 100,000: 20.1
Leading Cause of Fatalities: Contact with Objects and Equipment
10. Miscellaneous Agricultural Workers
Farming isn’t all peaceful amber fields of gently waving grains. It also involves whirring combines, dangerously hot environments, large animals and other unpredictable dangers. Despite those risks, the biggest danger to agricultural workers comes from transportation accidents. Laborers might crash on the way to work or heavy trucks might overturn while filled with cargo.
Fatal Injuries per 100,000: 20
Leading Cause of Fatalities: Transportation Incidents
How Dangerous Jobs Impact Workers and Employers
As previously mentioned, just because an occupation doesn’t carry a high chance of lethal mishap doesn’t mean it can’t affect your health. High-stress or high-risk jobs carry additional physical and mental health burdens.
A single non-lethal incident can lead to chronic pain or a permanent impact on bodily function. Over time, the repeated stress of poor ergonomics can lead to major musculoskeletal complications. Extended exposure to loud sound may cause hearing loss. Long periods of elevated stress can lead to poor cardiovascular health.
For employers, the effects of dangerous jobs are usually financial. Injuries, whether fatal or not, can leave managers understaffed without warning. Chronic health complications or burnout can lead to high turnover rates, making it difficult to maintain an adequate workforce.
More directly, hazardous roles lead to increased workers’ compensation costs. Each accident comes with a price tag. Negligent employers may be sued in civil court by injured employees or fined by OSHA for safety violations.
What Can Be Done to Improve Safety?
There is no single answer to that question, but there are many ways that individuals and organizations can contribute to safer workplaces.
Governments create rules to protect citizens, including employees at work. That’s the whole function of OSHA. Every year, the administration tackles difficult questions about existing standards, implements new safety measures and enforces those regulations across millions of businesses in hundreds of industries. OSHA even has a General Duty Clause to handle situations without a definite rule.
Managers, supervisors and business owners are responsible for knowing and following legal mandates. In practice, that usually means identifying hazards on jobsites and taking steps to mitigate them. That might mean installing railings around elevated surfaces, frequently testing fire extinguishers, controlling access to confined spaces, providing access to high-quality Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and training employees.
A robust safety training program is the easiest way to minimize on-the-job accidents and injuries. A short Toolbox Talk or a few hours of online education might prevent a deadly incident.
How to Protect Yourself
Keeping you safe isn’t just a job for the government or your boss. You can advocate for your own health. Report safety violations as a whistleblower. Always use PPE according to instructions. Take the initiative and educate yourself about common hazards where you work. Earn your OSHA 10 card to enhance your general safety awareness.
You might just save your own life. Or you could save your coworkers. A basic education in first aid, for instance, might help you provide lifesaving medical care to an injured colleague. An employer-designated competent person might spot a hidden hazard before it claims a life.
Enroll Today
The 10 jobs mentioned above account for millions of employees across the country. You might be one of them. Even if you aren’t, the best time to prepare for on-the-job hazards is today.
Thankfully, OSHA Education Center makes it easy to minimize occupational risks through high-quality, 100% online safety training. Whether you need to meet local New York City building safety requirements or you want to broaden your skills with a course in rigging safety, we can help.
Our courses are available 24/7 from any internet-connected device, making it easy for you to learn at your pace whenever it’s convenient. Learn how to prevent arc flashes during your lunch break or spend an afternoon mastering CPR. Start learning today to decrease the odds of showing up in the next Bureau of Labor Statistics workplace injury report.