The risk of injury or death is an unfortunate reality in many professions, but some occupations carry a substantially higher risk than others. Understanding occupational danger requires a clear, objective measure to compare hazards across different fields. This analysis relies on official government data, specifically statistics focusing on the rate of fatal injuries, to identify the professions where workers face the greatest likelihood of losing their lives on the job.
How Occupational Danger is Measured
The standard metric used to compare danger across various occupations is the Fatal Injury Rate. This rate is calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of its Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). It represents the number of fatal work injuries per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, serving as the most precise measure for risk comparison.
This calculation is preferred over simply counting the total number of deaths because it adjusts for the size of the workforce. A job with a small number of total workers might have fewer overall deaths than a larger occupation, but its rate per 100,000 workers indicates a much greater risk for any individual employee. The Fatal Injury Rate offers a normalized view of the probability of a worker incurring a deadly injury.
The 10 Most Dangerous Jobs by Fatal Injury Rate
The following occupations consistently report some of the highest fatal injury rates, according to the latest data from the BLS.
Loggers
Logging remains one of the most hazardous occupations, primarily due to the unpredictable nature of working with massive trees and powerful machinery in remote locations. The primary hazards involve contact with objects and equipment, most commonly being struck by a falling tree or a loose limb, known as a “widowmaker.” Loggers also face risks from heavy equipment used for felling and transporting wood, such as chainsaws and skidding tractors that can roll over on uneven terrain.
Fishers and Related Fishing Workers
Workers in the fishing industry face extreme environmental conditions and the constant threat of the marine environment. The most common cause of fatalities is vessel accidents, such as capsizing or sinking, followed by falls overboard and subsequent drowning. Harsh weather, including high winds and rough seas, combined with long hours, vessel instability, and the use of heavy gear like nets and traps, contribute to the high fatality rate.
Roofers
Roofers face danger tied directly to the nature of their work at elevation. The most significant hazard is falls, which are often the result of slips or missteps from ladders, scaffolds, or the roof structure itself. Working on steep slopes, near unprotected edges, and in varying weather conditions increases the likelihood of a loss of balance and a deadly fall to a lower level.
Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers
Fatalities in this field are predominantly the result of air transportation accidents. While commercial airline travel is highly safe, this category includes small-scale, private, and agricultural pilots who often operate in less regulated environments. The risks are associated with adverse weather conditions, mechanical failure, or human factors like fatigue and errors in judgment during takeoff or landing.
Structural Iron and Steel Workers
Structural iron and steel workers construct the skeletal framework of buildings and bridges, often working hundreds of feet above the ground. The most frequent cause of death is falls from elevation, which is compounded by the need to maneuver heavy steel beams into place. Being struck by falling materials or equipment that is being hoisted also represents a constant risk.
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
The primary danger for refuse and recyclable material collectors stems from transportation incidents, both as occupants of the collection vehicle and as pedestrians. Workers are often struck by other vehicles while working near the side of the road, or they can be struck by their own vehicle, especially when backing up. The repetitive motion of frequently mounting and dismounting the truck, combined with exposure to traffic, elevates the risk.
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
Truck driving accounts for the highest number of total workplace fatalities across all occupations, with the majority of deaths resulting from highway crashes. The danger comes from long hours, fatigue, and the time spent operating large vehicles on public roadways. Other hazards for drivers include non-transport incidents like falls, slips, and trips while loading or unloading cargo, and being struck by objects or equipment.
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers
These workers face hazards involving high-voltage electricity and great heights. Electrocution is a major cause of death, often occurring when workers make direct or indirect contact with energized power lines. Because the work is conducted on utility poles or in aerial buckets high above the ground, falls from great heights are another frequently reported type of deadly incident.
Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers
Agricultural work is fraught with hazards related to large, powerful machinery and working with animals. Fatalities frequently occur in machinery accidents, such as tractor rollovers, which can crush or pin the operator. Other dangers include entanglement in power take-off (PTO) shafts, exposure to chemicals like pesticides, and injuries sustained from handling large livestock.
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
The supervisory role in construction and extraction places these individuals in dangerous environments, often working alongside the crews they manage. Supervisors are exposed to the same range of hazards as the workers they oversee, including falls from heights and being struck by objects or equipment. Their fatality rate is often elevated because they are present to coordinate multiple high-risk activities simultaneously across the worksite.
Primary Causes of Workplace Fatalities
When analyzing nationwide data, fatalities tend to cluster into a few specific types of incidents. The highest percentage of workplace fatalities are consistently attributed to transportation incidents, which include highway, roadway, and non-roadway vehicle crashes. These incidents account for more than a third of all occupational deaths annually.
Following transportation incidents, the second leading cause of death is falls, slips, or trips, often from heights in construction or maintenance settings. Another major category involves contact with objects and equipment, such as being struck by falling or moving objects, or being caught in machinery. The remaining fatalities are distributed among incidents like exposure to harmful substances or environments, and violence.
Regulatory Oversight and Safety Mitigation
Governmental bodies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) play a role in setting and enforcing safety standards designed to reduce occupational risk. OSHA establishes specific regulations that mandate safety practices across high-fatality sectors, such as requiring guardrails, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems for workers at height. These standards aim to control the most common hazards.
Beyond mandatory equipment, safety mitigation strategies focus on preventative measures like ongoing training and regular equipment maintenance. Employers are responsible for implementing comprehensive programs that cover hazard identification, proper use of personal protective equipment, and emergency response procedures. Consistent enforcement of these protocols, combined with technological advancements in safety gear and machinery design, is intended to lower the fatal injury rates.
The statistics surrounding fatal injury rates provide a clear picture of the risks present in certain occupations. While many jobs involve unavoidable dangers, understanding the specific events that lead to fatalities allows for a focused approach to safety. Adhering to established safety protocols and continuously working to mitigate identified hazards are the primary ways to protect individuals performing these high-risk jobs.