While every line of work has its own set of occupational hazards, some are clearly more dangerous than others. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were 5,250 workplace deaths in 2018, an increase from 2017. For many employees in California, a bad day at work can mean serious injury or even death if they work in one of the most dangerous lines of work in the United States.
Pilots and flight engineers
With over 84,000 people nationwide involved in the aviation industry as pilots or flight engineers, the pool of total employees is already considerably smaller than many occupations. In 2018, there were 560 injuries between pilots and flight engineers, 70 of which resulted in fatalities. According to studies, this was the third most dangerous industry in the United States that year.
Fishers and fishing-related employees
Although it’s an industry that has its own reality show that focuses on the dangers involved, commercial fishers in the United States total only 520. Most of the incidents were classified as transportation accidents since so much time is spent on boats. There were 30 reported workplace accidents in the commercial fishing industry in 2018, and all 30 of them resulted in a fatality.
Logging
The primary risk for loggers is being hit by falling objects such as limbs, branches and even trees during the course of their work day. The logging industry has a fatal injury rate that is an astounding 28 times higher than the all-worker rate of 3.5 fatalities per 100,000 full-time employees.
Anyone who is injured at work should immediately begin the process of trying to obtain workers’ compensation benefits. An attorney who is familiar with the process may review the incident, the company’s policies and all other facts to help their client obtain financial restitution after their injury.
