Without doubt, this is the worst dangerous job around, and probably one of the worst jobs that exist. Meat slaughter house workers kill animals, and then cut, hack and saw their corpses all day long.

The job involves working in processing factories that tend to be overheated in summer and very cold at winter. They stand up for the duration of their shifts, move around heavy pieces of meat and are surrounded by strong, unpleasant smells, blood and inner organs.

Meat packers and slaughter house workers have high injury and illness rates. Most of the injuries come from the sharp knives and saws they work with, but slipping on the wet floor or being crushed by heavy chinks of meat is not uncommon either.

To top it all off, the salary is very low. Meat packers and slaughterers can look to earn around $11.60 an hour, or $24000 annually.

 

 2. Refuse and recyclable material collectors

Garbage men.  Their job is to take out the trash – all day and every day. On top of being at the bottom of the professional food chain, they are also prone to be killed or injured in traffic accidents, or even worse – being scooped up into the garbage truck and getting crushed.

Definitely one of the worst jobs around.

3. Logging workers

There are some good things about working as a logger – such as working outdoors, being surrounded by nature, and even working in teams. But there are more negatives then positives to this job:

Working outdoors means being exposed to nature – hot, cold, rain and sunshine. Logging workers also have to work their way around difficult terrain and handle any insects, reptiles and animals that come their way. And last but not least, this is the 2^nd most dangerous job in America

2.   Pay:   Dangerous jobs salaries cover a wide spectrum – from very low to very high. The basic rule of thumb is that the more difficult the job, the more training and experience needed and the higher the cost of making a mistake – the higher the salary will be. Many dangerous jobs offer high pay for uneducated workers – a high school diploma is enough for many jobs in which the earning potential is high.

3.   Opportunities:   Many dangerous jobs offer opportunities don’t come easily in other professions. From career opportunities to travelling around the world and learning a profession – some dangerous jobs offer it all. The entry requirements are another major advantage – many high paying dangerous jobs can be found with a high school diploma and some professional course alone – college and university degrees are not standard for these jobs. Dangerous jobs offer a decent and even above average standard of living for those without higher education.

4.   Lifestyle:   Some dangerous jobs are more than just a job – they are a lifestyle. Commercial fishing, ranching and combat military positions are much more than just jobs. The commitment, demands and irregular hours of these jobs turn these professions into ways of life. These are not jobs that end at 5 pm, and for some people this is the only way to go through life.

5.    Personal Fulfillment:   Let’s face it – most office jobs don’t leave you with a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day. And one thing dangerous jobs are good at is leaving a sense of satisfaction. Working outdoors, operating heavy, expensive machines and equipment and seeing, touching and feeling your accomplishments leaves a great sense of fulfillment.

6.   Challenges:   Fulfillment usually comes after meeting challenges – and many dangerous jobs offer challenges on a daily basis. Just ask the bomb squad technician or the bounty hunter how many challenges they face each day. Challenges at work are good – they keep things interesting, and keep you coming back for more.

7.   Team work:   Not for everyone – but for those who love it, the best teamwork around is usually found in dangerous jobs. Combat soldiers, firefighters and fishermen all work in teams, heavily relying on their teammates to get the job done. The dangerous nature of the job pushes team work to the extreme – exposing the best and worst of each team member, but building a tight knitted group like nothing else.

8.   Outdoors:    Office and indoor work is not for everyone. And many dangerous jobs are done outdoors – far from the florescent lights and cubicles of office life. Ranchers, fishermen and logging workers work outdoors – and get to experience mother nature head on each and every day.

9.   Responsibility:   Heavy machinery, sharp instruments, difficult conditions and a tough job to be done – many dangerous jobs demand responsible people to get the job done. Pilots are responsible for dozens of lives and multi-million dollar aircraft, bomb squad technicians and firefighters must tackle danger head on to save lives, and air traffic controllers are responsible for hundreds of lives at any given moment. Dangerous jobs demand the highest responsibility there is – the direct responsibility for human life.

10.  It’s just cool:    Kids don’t dream of being accountants, lawyers or data analysts – they want to go and do the dangerous stuff. Some dangerous jobs are just cool – ask any firefighter or police officer what responses they receive when they tell others what they do.

 

 

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1. Identification and Ranking:    Identifying and ranking the causes for injuries and fatalities at the workplace is the first step in dangerous job risk management (Causes can be highway and road side accidents, falls, injuries by equipment, etc…).
2. Root Cause Analysis:   Next comes the task of understanding the root cause (or causes) for each injury and fatality cause. The main goal of this step is to pinpoint the major reason or reasons as to why these causes create so many injuries and fatalities – so that all the time and energy spent on preventing future injuries and fatalities is spent on the right factors, and not wasted on non relevant issues (for example – most highway and roadside accidents occur mainly due to driver fatigue, so preventing drives from driving when they are tired will be the objective).
3. Safety Procedures:    Following the identification of the root causes for each injury and fatality cause comes the creation of proper safety procedures, which will minimize or delete the risk from each root cause. Now, proper safety procedures must be planned. These safety procedures can be aimed at the root cause itself (preferably), or at minimizing the risk once a certain event has happened. Also, a procedure to manage and control the safety procedure should be planned.
4. Implementation:     The next step is implementing the new safety procedures. This includes training and installing new safety equipment.
5. Management and Control:     The final step is to manage and control the safety procedure. This step is continuous and never ends, but it’s purpose is to verify that the safety procedure is being used, and to improve if necessary.

Another aspect of dangerous job risk management is insurance. Once the main causes for injury and fatality have been identified, make sure that the insurance policy covers them properly. This may not stop future injuries or deaths, but it will at least take care of all expenses.

 

A good example of proper risk management and use of life saving equipment is the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. Joseph Strauss, the chief engineer and project manager for the bridges construction pioneered the use of safety nets beneath the construction site, to catch workers who fell of the bridge. During the 4 years of construction, the nets saved the lives of 19 workers. This example illustrates that proper identification of dangers, simple solutions to dangerous situations and devotion to safety can save lives.

Dangerous jobs are usually more difficult and demanding than other jobs – and they are definately more risky. However these 5 simple guide lines can minimize the risk: Indentify and rank, Root cause analysis, Safety procedures, implementation and Management and control. Remember that safety is everyones responsibility,  and that one good safety procedure can save many lives.

1. Highway Accidents:

Highway and traffic accidents are the main cause for workplace fatalities. Naturally drivers, police officers, garbage men and other occupations that spend many hours on the road or roadside are more vulnerable to highway accidents – but anyone who commutes to work is at risk.

2.  Falls:

Construction and maintenance workers are especially exposed to this threat. Many falls occur due to improper use of safety gear and faulty equipment. Not all falls are from great heights – a surprisingly large number of fatal falls is from ladders or low heights.

3. Homicides:

Surprising – but homicides at the workplace are an actual threat. Most homicides occur in the service industries – such as the food and accommodation industries. Most women who die at their jobs are murdered, and this fact goes hand in hand with women’s large involvement in the food and accommodation industries.

4. Object and Equipment Strikes:

Object and equipment strikes come in at a surprising 4^th place. This is due to the fact that not all workers are exposed to objects and equipment that can be fatal, and to the safety measures that are normally taken when operating or working near dangerous equipment.

 

These 4 main causes are from the nationwide statistics. Each state also undertakes their own census. For example – here are the findings from the states of Arizona, Montana and Illinois:

Arizona:     Findings are similar to nationwide statistics: Highway and transportation accidents are the leading cause of death, followed by homicides and then fatal falls. Most workplace fatalities (90%) were accounted for by men .

Montana:     Transportation accidents are also the leading cause of death, followed by homicides, and summed up by falls, object and equipment strikes and exposure to harmful substances. Men also account for most of the workplace fatalities – 83% of those killed at work were men.

Illinois:      Transportation accidents are also the leading cause of death, followed by object and equipment strikes, and then homicides. Again, men make a staggering 92% of those killed at their workplace.

Another fact common throughout America, and in these 3 states as well:  workplace and occupational fatality rates are slowly and surely decreasing.

Danger is built in as part of our lifes, and will always be around. But identifying and knowing how to stay away from or handle dangerous situations can save your life, and other people’s lifes as well

 

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Fatality rate: Commercial fishing is officially the most fatal job in America. It “boasts” the highest fatality rate  – 116 deaths per 100,000 workers.

Dangers: Fishermen work on boats, usually many hundreds of miles from shore. They are subject to drowning, injuries from nets, machinery, equipment, and even their own catch. Also, fishermen work on very unstable, slippery and wet platforms, in all types of weather and far away from any help if something goes wrong.

2. Farmers and ranchers: