What Is a Dangerous Workplace?

Work is an essential part of life. Having a well-paid job ensures we are able to meet the basic necessities of life such as eating and enjoying shelter; it can also help provide a level of comfort and healthcare. We all spend a long time at work, and many of us can take our workplace surroundings for granted.

However, while many of us might work in offices, there are many occupations that involve dangerous locations. Of course, even ‘safe’ environments can see serious and life-changing accidents occur. It is this risk that saw the United States government introduce the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970.

Back then, there were 14,000 deaths annually in the workplace. However, thanks to ongoing improvements in standards and regulations, this dropped to under 5,200 by 2016. This means the rate of deaths in both the private and public sectors is now less than four for every 100,000 employees.

While many occupations have a near-zero chance of work-related fatalities, there are many that have a significant level of danger. Employers will expend a lot of time and money to ensure that their workplace is as safe as possible, but employees will also have a responsibility to ensure they are working as safely as possible. For those employers where chances are higher, having a competent Risk Management partner helps to control the changes of worker injury disease or death.

Despite following all OSHA and employer requirements, it is not possible to completely eliminate every risk. Certain conditions and mistakes can still lead to injuries and death. A survey by 24/7 Wall Street identified 25 occupations that had a fatality rate ranging from twice to 20 times the standard average. This includes danger from exposure to risky environments or hazardous substances to operating dangerous machinery.

These 25 jobs included:

1. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
2. Painters, construction, and maintenance
3. Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers
4. Electricians
5. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
6. Athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers
7. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
8. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
9. Taxi drivers and chauffeurs
10. Maintenance and repair workers, general
11. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
12. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
13. Construction laborers
14. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
15. Grounds maintenance workers
16. Miscellaneous agricultural workers
17. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
18. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
19. Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
20. Structural iron and steelworkers
21. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
22. Roofers
23. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers
24. Fishers and related fishing workers
25. Logging workers