The most dangerous jobs

[Red Squirrel]

Based on that graph, every time a roofer gets hurt, there is a decent chance that a plane crashes. (there's usually two pilots so keeping that into account)

Dammit roofers, wear your safety harness, air traffic is counting on you!

 

[nageov3t]

Yea the numbers don't add up. There were slightly over 100,000 commercial pilots in 2013 and the only fatal crash involving a US crew was a UPS flight that crashed killing 2.

Hmmm.......

 

[CPA]

What is up with garbageman on that list? Are they dieing from touching toxic waste or are they getting crushed in the back of the garbage truck or just falling off the back on the truck?

Truck accidents, and accidents outside the truck (getting backed into, being hit by other motorists, etc). I work in the industry.

 

[Linflas]

I just know that working on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is one of the most dangerous jobs so I was thinking they might include that since, technically, they aren't combat jobs.

Yes it is very dangerous but you have the advantage of a lot of training and motivation to keep your head out of your backside. The funny thing is that it very quickly becomes just another day at the office and that is the real danger. Plus they give you hazardous duty pay for working on the flight deck during flight ops and you want to hang around to spend the extra $150.00 a month.

 

[Ns1]

htf are there so many logging deaths?

 

[nageov3t]

htf are there so many logging deaths?

I think the biggest danger there is when the top of a tree (often unseen in a dense canopy) is weak or broken... as the rest of the tree falls one way, the top can drop down onto the logger.

 

[Markbnj]

htf are there so many logging deaths?

That one didn't surprise me. Trees are massively heavy. Toss in steep slopes, which become mudfields when cleared (a lot of this work is going on in the wet northwest). You're dropping these things, cutting them up with dangerous tools, and then slinging them out by chopper or dragging them up to a road with a cable. Dangerous business for sure.

Never did logging, but that kind of environment is very similar to what it's like on a fishing boat. You don't think about it all the time when you're doing the job, but you are constantly one little mistake from fucking yourself right up.

 

[Ns1]

That one didn't surprise me. Trees are massively heavy. Toss in steep slopes, which become mudfields when cleared (a lot of this work is going on in the wet northwest). You're dropping these things, cutting them up with dangerous tools, and then slinging them out by chopper or dragging them up to a road with a cable. Dangerous business for sure.

Never did logging, but that kind of environment is very similar to what it's like on a fishing boat. You don't think about it all the time when you're doing the job, but you are constantly one little mistake from fucking yourself right up.

these guys doing it wrong or what?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLYMX21M8vI

surely they've had some technological advances in 5 years since this video was created...

 

[nageov3t]

these guys doing it wrong or what?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLYMX21M8vI

surely they've had some technological advances in 5 years since this video was created...

I think it depends on how dense the forest is.

 

[Sonikku]

Guess if you tip your hat to firefighters you better start tipping your hat to farmers too.

 

[Muse]

Makes sense that logging would be dangerous, but fishing on ocean going fishing boats is extremely dangerous. This documentary on New England fishing boats is a revelation. I saw it 4 months ago:

Leviathan (2012)

This is not gruesome, does not depict accidents, it shows you day to day operations on a fishing boat, things you'd never see unless you were a fisherman or see this documentary. Makes you appreciate how that fish dinner got to your plate.

You don't think about it all the time when you're doing the job, but you are constantly one little mistake from fucking yourself right up.

That's exactly what goes through your mind as you watch Leviathan (this is the 2012 documentary, not the movie that came out later of the same name).

 

[Markbnj]

these guys doing it wrong or what?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLYMX21M8vI

surely they've had some technological advances in 5 years since this video was created...

I'm no expert on logging, but I think that machine is clearing young trees from level ground.

Here's a good example of the kind of thing I was referring to...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFVRkLMveRk

 

[Ruptga]

Hey guys let's stop talking about logging, this is obviously a thread about cop hating.

 

[rudeguy]

I would be willing to bet that a large part of those numbers come from the crop duster fatalities.

From the article: http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/03/01/top-10-most-dangerous-jobs/

Crop dusting and bush flying are by far the most dangerous due to the fact that they fly in small planes, very close to the ground, and often work long hours.

Good call!

Something wasn't adding up. That makes a ton of sense. Those bastards are a special kind of crazy. We work with one at our airport and he...well...he ain't right.

 

[Muse]

Dammit roofers, wear your safety harness, air traffic is counting on you!

When my total-roof tear-off was done around 8 years ago those Mexicans didn't wear any harnesses. They looked as unconcerned as squirrels, they were used to it. AFAIK, none of them fell, it was a big crew, just one of around 6 (I think) working for a local roofing company. I've been up on my roof a zillion times, I'm used to it. If you're not used to it, it's very scary, but you can gain confidence, you adopt practices, hand-holds. But doing roof work is another matter, you get tired, there's debris, there's a ton of work to do, you have other guys around you, there can be the additional stress of hot tar fumes, the weather can be very challenging... hot, cold, wet, windy. It's tough work, dangerous.

The workers seem to have done a pretty good job (still no leaks AFAIK), but the guy(s) who nailed on the shingles (with a power-nailer) rushed and I could see the heads under a lot of the shingles (a no-no). I made them replace all the shingles (that I could find) that were improperly nailed, I'd go up there after they left and inspect. Good thing I wasn't afraid to ramble around on my roof. They also failed to put double underlayment on a section not steep enough to warrant single underlayment. I made them redo that too! If I had it to do again, I'd hire a company with just one crew, where the owner was the crew chief. A company with a bunch of crews with rotating staff on a day to day basis likely doesn't have adequate supervision going on.

 

[Ruptga]

More graphs here
http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfch0012.pdf

Pages 18 and 19 have numbers specifically for the civilian sector.

 

[balloonshark]

Outside of the top 3 and bottom 3 I'd bet that most of those deaths are caused by their own stupidity/negligence.

The problem is that graphic doesn't really give us any insight to what is the most dangerous job. It just tells us who the most careless workers are.

Most of those jobs are based on making money in a short amount of time through contracts. When you're work is physical and you race against the clock with no oversight, union, etc. there will be injuries. I worked construction on and off for around 10 years and I only had one job where they enforced safety equipment and that was only after another company bought them out.

Sure you could take your time and be careful but you're going to be the first guy shuffled to a site further away and/or laid off when things get slow.

 

[jlee]

That one didn't surprise me. Trees are massively heavy. Toss in steep slopes, which become mudfields when cleared (a lot of this work is going on in the wet northwest). You're dropping these things, cutting them up with dangerous tools, and then slinging them out by chopper or dragging them up to a road with a cable. Dangerous business for sure.

Never did logging, but that kind of environment is very similar to what it's like on a fishing boat. You don't think about it all the time when you're doing the job, but you are constantly one little mistake from fucking yourself right up.

And that's just deaths...I have a friend who was paralyzed from the waist down when he was 19. He was getting back into a skidder and a tree came down on him. Not dead, so not on that chart - but certainly a life-changing/crippling injury.

 

[BD231]

Suicide rates by profession trounce these numbers. Clearly America's deadliest jobs are the ones that make you want to kill yourself.

 

[NoStateofMind]

Yup, some professions will have a far higher rate of accidental death than others.

If you ran another study showing how many people were injured at work, it'd be a bit different - using only fatalities to represent 'dangerous' jobs is misrepresentation of fact.



Over 14,500 injuries in 2013. Certainly far from the highest death rate of professions, but the only job I've had where I was assaulted was LE.

Uhuh. They define 'assault of an officer' to mean 'touching'. Simply ridiculous to try and use that to persuade people that you have a dangerous job. Jesus, if we measured assaults the way police do for themselves for the common man there's no telling how many millions of 'assaults' there were. Equality in law is a myth.

 

[Ns1]

Uhuh. They define 'assault of an officer' to mean 'touching'. Simply ridiculous to try and use that to persuade people that you have a dangerous job. Jesus, if we measured assaults the way police do for themselves for the common man there's no telling how many millions of 'assaults' there were. Equality in law is a myth.

I cannot believe that someone can in good faith argue that officers don't have a dangerous job.

 

[jlee]

I cannot believe that someone can in good faith argue that officers don't have a dangerous job.

Well, it's such an easy, safe, impossible-to-get-fired-from job, kinda makes you wonder why everybody isn't doing it!

:awe: