The Most Dangerous Jobs in Jackson

It almost sounds like a trivia question: what are the 25 most dangerous jobs in the country? But there is nothing trivial about the answer.

According to USA Today, the most dangerous job is logging, followed by fishing and fishing-related work. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers are ranked third, roofers fourth, and refuse and recycle material collectors complete the top five.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act became law in 1970, a year in which 14,000 workplace fatalities were suffered. The mission was to set and enforce safety standards in the workplace.

Despite positive trends, work fatalities are still common

In 2016, workplace fatalities fell to fewer than 5,200. Still, some jobs are far more dangerous than others. And no matter how strict the safety standards put in place, there are always accidents and fatal errors. The majority of jobs on the list require frequent use of heavy equipment, close proximity to hazardous substances, or working in potentially dangerous environments.

In 2016, 91 loggers died and there were 900 nonfatal injuries in that field. Logging is physically demanding. As with commercial fishing, the location of the work is primarily outdoors and often in remote areas far from medical aid. The most common logging accident occurs when a worker is struck by a log or falling branch. Dangerous machinery is also part of a logger's daily life.

While flying is statistically the safest way to travel, pilots and flight engineers have a tendency to overextend. Pilots, specifically, have inconsistent work schedules, and exhaustion is a risk. Seventy-five pilots and flight engineers died in 2016 - each due to an accident while in transit.

It's no surprise that roofers have a hard and dangerous job. The occupation involves climbing, bending and kneeling, usually on a roof. Slips, falls, and trips are as much a part of the scene as hammer and nails. Injured roofers spend an average of almost three weeks out of work following an injury. There were 101 fatal injuries in this field in 2016.

Slips and falls are relatively a common hazard among refuse and recyclable material collectors, accounting for nearly one-third of the 6,170 non-fatal injuries on the job in 2016. The most common cause of fatalities (31) involved the collectors' trucks.

Some other dangerous jobs include:

• Structural iron and steel workers: Being struck by an object is the most common accident on the job. Because so much work is done at extreme heights, a fall, slip or trip can be deadly. There were 16 deaths in 2016.
• Drivers/sales workers and truck drivers: Most drivers/sales workers and truck drivers spend much of their time on the road, so it's not surprising that 80 percent of fatal accidents in this field come from motor vehicle accidents.
• Farmers, ranchers and agricultural managers: Most injuries and deaths occur because of motorized vehicles.
• First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers: As these workers often spend their days (or nights) toiling on roadways, being hit by a car is a hazard.
• Miscellaneous agricultural workers: Tractors are a big reason why farm workers were injured in 2016.

Completing the list of the most dangerous jobs, in order:

• Grounds maintenance workers
• First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
• Construction laborers
• Police and sheriff's patrol officers
• Electrical power-line installers and repairers
• Maintenance and repair workers, general
• Taxi drivers and chauffeurs
• First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
• Telecommunications line installers and repairers
• Athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers
• Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
• Electricians
• Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers
• Painters in construction and maintenance
• Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers

If you are hurt on the job and need legal help, look no further than the Tabor Law Firm, based in Jackson, Mississippi. We will fight to help you recover. Contact us today and find out how we can help.