You have probably heard repeatedly that the construction industry is the most dangerous profession. While it does carry a high degree of risk, part of the reason for the high numbers of total injuries and fatalities is just that the industry itself is huge. The more workers you have, the more likely it is that someone will get hurt.
To really find out which professions are the most dangerous, you need to adjust the numbers for the amount of incidents per 100,000 people working in that profession. This shows you where the true risk lies.
One study looked at the number of fatalities per 100,000 workers and came up with the most dangerous professions. Here are the top 10:
- Logging: 135.9 fatal accidents per 100,000 workers
- Fishing: 86 fatal accidents per 100,000 workers
- Piloting aircraft: 55.5 fatal accidents per 100,000 workers
- Roofing: 48.6 fatal accidents per 100,000 workers
- Collecting garbage: 34.1 fatal accidents per 100,000 workers
- Working with steel and iron: 25.1 fatal accidents per 100,000 workers
- Truck driving: 24.7 fatal accidents per 100,000 workers
- Farming: 23.1 fatal accidents per 100,000 workers
- Supervising construction crews: 18 fatal accidents per 100,000 workers
- Working in agriculture: 17.4 fatal accidents per 100,000 workers
Do you work in one of these high-risk professions? The high fatality rates also mean there is a very good chance you could be injured in a serious accident, even if it does not prove fatal. This injury could lead to very high medical bills, lost wages, permanent disabilities and many other complications. If that happens, it is absolutely critical that you know your rights to workers’ compensation in Wisconsin.
Source: USA Today, “Workplace fatalities: 25 most dangerous jobs in America,” Samuel Stebbins, Evan Comen and Charles Stockdale, accessed April 12, 2018
