These are the most dangerous jobs in the US and their most common cause of death based on fatal occupational injuries data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Source: Capital Gazette
Logging is often cited as the most dangerous job in America, and for good reason. It only takes a quick online search of logging accidents to see that the people who harvest trees for wood products, a fundamental raw material for the construction industry, are killed or injured with disturbing regularity.
The most common fatal accident among logging workers are accidents involving delimbers, bunchers, forwarders, and other heavy and dangerous equipment used to turn trees into transportable bundles of logs.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the fatal work injury rate for fallers (fellers) the frontline workers of the logging industry, last year was a staggering 530 per 100,000 workers, or 33 workers out of a total workforce of 5,600. Compare that to the national average for all occupations tracked by the US Department of Labor of 3.3 deaths per 100,000 workers.
But fallers are just one part of the hazardous logging, forestry, and tree-trimming businesses in which tens of thousands of workers are doing some of the most dangerous work in America.
To determine the most dangerous jobs in the US, 24/7 Wall St reviewed the 2021 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries from the BLS. Occupations are ranked according to the most annual fatal injuries per 100,000 workers. Employment data used to calculate fatalities and injuries per worker came from the BLS Employment Projections program for 2021.
- Fallers (fellers)
- Fatal work injury rate (2021): 589.3 per 100,000
- Fatal work injuries (2021): 33
- Common cause of fatal injury: Contact with machine or object (such as a log)
- Non-fatal injuries (2020): 40 (714.3 per 100,000)
- Total employed (2021): 5,600
- Commercial Divers
- Fatal work injury rate (2021): 233.3 per 100,000
- Fatal work injuries (2021): 7
- Common cause of fatal injury: Equipment failure
- Non-fatal injuries (2020): N/A
- Total employed (2021): 3,000
- Commercial Pilots
- Fatal work injury rate (2021): 123.7 per 100,000
- Fatal work injuries (2021): 59
- Common cause of fatal injury: Crashes
- Non-fatal injuries (2020): 190 (398.3 per 100,000)
- Total employed (2021): 47,700
- Tree trimmers and pruners
- Fatal work injury rate (2021): 122.4 per 100,000
- Fatal work injuries (2021): 78
- Common cause of fatal injury: Falls, slips, trips
- Non-fatal injuries (2020): 840 (1,318.7 per 100,000)
- Total employed (2021): 63,700
- Extraction workers (mining)
- Fatal work injury rate (2021): 80.6 per 100,000
- Fatal work injuries (2021): 5
- Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents
- Non-fatal injuries (2020): 20 (322.6 per 100,000)
- Total employed (2021): 6,200
- Roofers
- Fatal work injury rate (2021): 72.4 per 100,000
- Fatal work injuries (2021): 115
- Common cause of fatal injury: Falls, slips, trips
- Non-fatal injuries (2020): 1,960 (1,234.3 per 100,000)
- Total employed (2021): 158,800\
- Earth drillers except oil and gas
- Fatal work injury rate (2021): 42.9 per 100,000
- Fatal work injuries (2021): 7
- Common cause of fatal injury: Contact with objects and equipment
- Non-fatal injuries (2020): 240 (1,472.4 per 100,000)
- Total employed (2021): 16,300
- Heavy truck drivers
- Fatal work injury rate (2021): 41.7 per 100,000
- Fatal work injuries (2021): 874
- Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents
- Non-fatal injuries (2020): 43,500 (2,076.7 per 100,000)
- Total employed (2021): 2,094,700
- Athletes and sports competitors
- Fatal work injury rate (2021): 38.0 per 100,000
- Fatal work injuries (2021): 6
- Common cause of fatal injury: Sudden cardiac death
- Non-fatal injuries (2020): 920 (5,822.8 per 100,000)
- Total employed (2021): 15,800
- Sailors and marine oilers
- Fatal work injury rate (2021): 36.2 per 100,000
- Fatal work injuries (2021): 10
- Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents
- Non-fatal injuries (2020): 380 (1,376.8 per 100,000)
- Total employed (2021): 27,600
- First line supervisors of farming, fishing and forestry
- Fatal work injury rate (2021): 30.0 per 100,000
- Fatal work injuries (2021): 16
- Common cause of fatal injury: Transportation incidents
- Non-fatal injuries (2020): 460 (863.0 per 100,000)
- Total employed (2021): 53,300
- Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians
- Fatal work injury rate (2021): 28.3 per 100,000
- Fatal work injuries (2021): 14
- Common cause of fatal injury: Contact with objects and equipment
- Non-fatal injuries (2020): 660 (1,333.3 per 100,000)
- Total employed (2021): 49,500.
