The 10 most dangerous jobs in America
The workplace death rate continued to fall in 2002, but some jobs remain staggeringly risky.
By Kim Khan
Loggers and fishermen faced the most daunting odds of dying at work in 2002, but the highways remained the most dangerous place for American workers.
On-the-job accidents and homicides claimed the lives of 5,524 Americans last year, down 6.6% from 2001. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the workplace death rate is the lowest it has seen since recordkeeping began in 1992.
Of that 5,524, only 104 were timber-cutters, but those fatalities represent a death rate nearly 30 times that of a typical workplace. Loggers died at a rate of 117.8 per 100,000 workers, the BLS said, with most of them killed by falling trees. The death rate for American workplaces as a whole was 4 per 100,000. (That's among occupations with more than 30 fatalities in 2002 and more than 45,000 employed.)
Fishing was the second most dangerous occupation, with 71.1 deaths for every 100,000 workers, followed by pilots and navigators, 69.8, structural metal workers, 58.2, and, perhaps surprisingly, drivers-sales workers, which include pizza delivery drivers at 37.9.
Roofing is another dangerous job, with 37 deaths for every 100,000 workers. Electric power installers, farm occupation, construction laborer and truck drivers also made the top 10.
The 10 most dangerous jobs
Occupation Fatalities per 100,000
Timber cutters 117.8
Fishers 71.1
Pilots and navigators 69.8
Structural metal workers 58.2
Drivers-sales workers 37.9
Roofers 37
Electrical power installers 32.5
Farm occupations 28
Construction laborers 27.7
Truck drivers 25
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics; survey of occupations with minimum 30 fatalities and 45,000 workers in 2002
On-the-job killers
Type of incident 2002 deaths
Aircraft accidents 192
Caught in running equipment 110
Drowning 60
Electrocution 289
Exposure to substances 98
Falls from ladder 126
Falls from roof 143
Fires/explosions 165
Highway collisions 635
Assaults/violence 840
Jackknifed or overturned truck 312
Overturned farm/industrial equipment 164
Struck by falling/flying object 506
Struck by vehicle 356
Suicides 199
Source: http://money.msn.com...xtra/P63405.asp
