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Earning a living could cost you your life. Have you ever wondered about the most dangerous and deadliest jobs in the world? From working at high altitudes to facing significant health concerns, it might be best to think about your long-term health instead of thinking about that paycheck.
So, if you're currently on the job hunt, you might as well see the dangerous side of professions before accepting your next gig.
E-Trash Recyclers
The annual salary for American waste workers is $40,000, but some make $100,000. They earn that money because they handle stinky trash and recycling. Trash and recycling collectors have the fifth-most dangerous job in the United States.
According to Bureau of Labor of Statistics, 31 total deaths were recorded in 2016.
Oilfield Workers
Heights, heavy equipment, and dangerous materials are just some daunting elements of the job. However, the most significant cause of death of oil and extraction laborers was vehicle crashes.
On top of that, fatigue and long, unsafe travels to and from rigs are reasons why accidents happen so often on the job.
Bull Riders
It's a popular sport in Spain, and it's growing in America. But, this rodeo sport has the highest rate of injury to humans. According to a six-year Australian study, bull-riding injuries are becoming more frequent than ever before.
The most common wounds from bull riding include injuries to the limbs, chest, and head.
Stuntpeople
It's all about danger here. Workers perform insane stunts that are too risky for any actor to perform. Dicey maneuvers like jumping from great heights, crashing vehicles, or using weapons in fights are all apart of the gig.
There aren't any official statistics, but you have to hope stuntpeople get good paychecks.
Vets
According to the Australian Veterinary Association, these employees are up to four times more likely to fall victim to suicide than the rest of the Aussie population.
Factors include high levels of stress, emotional hardships associated with euthanasia, and the financial strain of being a vet.
Deep-Sea Fisherman
According to Statistics Canada, fishing was found to be the deadliest job in Canada. Fishermen face the elements of nature due to open waters, gambling their lives with the hopes of hauling in that big catch.
The highest cause of death in this field is drowning. It's no wonder why Deadliest Catch is such a popular show.
Being high off the ground and working with electricity is a daunting job you need to read about in just a bit.
Underwater Welders
Electricity and water definitely don't mix. But for underwater welders, it's all part of the job. Employees in this filed repair pipelines, ships, dams, and more. They do face many dangers, including explosions and pressure hazards.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that this job has a death rate that's 40 times higher than America's average.
Structural Iron And Steel Workers
Heights, steel beams, collapsing walls, and more. Those are just some of the elements that make this particular gig risky. Structural iron and steel workers are the sixth-most dangerous job in the United States.
Falls account for most of the deaths in this field, while injuries come from cuts or muscle strains.
Utility Linemen And Power Workers
Working with electricity is challenging enough. But, working with that, plus being high above the ground is gut-wrenching. If you make one wrong decision, you'll likely be met with an electric shock.
The fact that linemen are required to hang out of a helicopter to complete the intimidating gig gets them double the danger points.
Cave-ins, explosions, and toxic fumes are some hazards for the next job ahead.
Farmers
Heavy machinery, sun exposure, and chemical hazards are a risk to farmers. Spending long hours in these intense conditions can be very dangerous. Farmers had the 10th-highest traumatic injury fatality rate in Canada between 2011 and 2015.
They saw an average of 23.9 deaths per 100,000 workers.
Miners
Cave-ins, explosions, chemical leaks, and toxic fumes are some hazards miners face. China has the world's largest mining industry and one of the deadliest.
One report found out that the country accounts for 80 percent of coal-mining deaths, mostly due to the explosions that occur underground.
Read ahead to see the industry that saw roughly a six percent increase in fatalities from 2015-2016.
Maintenance Workers
Taking care of parks and the grounds outside of office areas are a necessity, but these workers had the 10th-most dangerous job in 2016. In that year, 217 fatalities were reported by BLS.
Most workers die due to transportation accidents, or the result of falls, electrocutions, or being struck by loose objects.
First-Line Supervisors Of Construction Trades And Extraction Workers
These employees oversee and coordinate construction, but supervising comes with a challenge. The construction industry saw roughly a six percent increase in fatalities from 2015-2016. Also, it had the highest number of fatalities in all industries with 991 deaths.
Unfortunately, first-line workers saw a jump of fatal injuries from 16 to 18 percent.
In 2015, fatalities accounted for 62 percent of total accidents in a field where you're high above the ground.
Firefighters
It's not a surprise, considering they put their lives on the line. From rushing into burning buildings to digging ditches to save people, firefighters are courageous people. However, the saddest part of it all is this.
Of the one million firefighters in the United States, 70% of them are unpaid volunteers.
Roofers
Walking around on the tops of homes and office buildings sounds like fun, but not really. What you might not know is that they are in danger of scorching hot tiles and electrocution.
Plus, when you add heat stroke to the mix of things, you got yourself one nasty job with a median wage of $35,920.
Aircraft Pilot And Fight Engineers
In 2015, crew fatalities accounted for 62 percent of total accidents. The other 38 percent were passengers. In that same year, there were 251 aviation accidents reported to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
227 of those accidents all occurred in a Canadian registered aircraft.
Coming up, these employees in the next field are up to four times more likely to fall victim to suicide.
Police Officers
The men and women who protect us don't even crack the top ten in most dangerous jobs. However, there is one significant difference and a common risk that officers face on the role that most other fields don't — murder.
Fatalities from other industries are hardly ever from homicide, but officer deaths are generally at the hands of others.
Truck And Sales Drivers
In 2016, truck drivers had the highest number of fatalities on the job. Some drivers carry heavy and dangerous loads over vast distances. Sometimes, drivers will keep going when they're tired, making the possibility of an accident more likely.
Transportation incidents remain one of the most prominent reasons for death.
Private Investigators
PI's often work on their own with no backup to catch culprits. Kusic and Kusic Private Investigators Ltd outlined the dangers that detectives face. Extreme temperatures, the risk of an accident, and an overwhelming work schedules are just some.
But, the biggest one of them all is the possibility that a suspect will lash out violently.
Lumberjacks
The only scary thing about chopping down a tree is operating the heavy machinery. Surprisingly enough, forestry had the 10th-highest number of traumatic injury fatalities. Between 2011-2015, 57 deaths occurred.
Also, during the span, it was one of the deadliest industries in all of North America.