The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released their Most Dangerous Jobs data for the year of 2004. As I was looking at the list, it struck me that there are some jobs missing from the Top Ten that I would have thought would have been definite shoo-ins for dangerous jobs in the U.S. The Top Ten Most Dangerous Jobs in reverse order are:
10. Taxi driver/chauffeur. I would be curious to see if the injuries in this job came more from auto accidents or from assaults.
9. Truck driver. Considering how some of these fellows drive, I’m not surprised.
8. Electric lineman. Not only do these guys have to deal with deadly electricity as their job, they have to do it while suspended in mid-air. This one is well-deserved.
7. Roofer. I would not have thought this would outstrip some of the others but I guess when your job involves heights, accidents are to be expected.
6. Farmer/rancher. Does the operation of large machinery as part of the job play into this?
5. Garbage collector. Again, I find this one a surprise. Maybe the data comes from dropping the cans on their foot as they sling them back to the curb. While a dirty job, I would not have thought it to be a dangerous job.
4. Iron structure worker. These guys walk I-beams high up during construction of large buildings. I would definitely classify this as a dangerous job.
3. Fisherman. If you’ve ever watched The Deadliest Catch on cable, you can understand why this in on the list. It gives Alaskan King Crab a whole new value to you.
Tie for First Place:
Airplane pilot and Logger. A pilot has a job as dangerous as a logger?? That will not improve my nerves as I step onto my next flight.
Jobs that are surprising no-shows in the Top Ten:
Police Officer – I thought this job was a shoo-in for number one. Of all jobs, I would think this is the most dangerous of all.
Public School Teacher – Especially those teachers who work in the inner city or in large urban school systems. Not only is teaching a tough job, but also an underpaid job and one that is dangerous.
Road Construction Worker – How can these guys stand to work with traffic whizzing by them at 90 mph? I would definitely say this is a dangerous job.
Veterinarian – Think about it – they are doctors who get bitten, kicked, and scratched by their patients on a daily basis as part of their job.
Think about this list the next time you are having a bad day at work. More than likely, your job doesn’t entail dangerous heights or guns or mean people. The most danger you might be in is getting shocked while clearing a paper jam from the copier. We must all count our blessings, however few they may seem, because someone, somewhere has it a lot worse!
