Workers at These 5 Job-Sites Face Above-Average Danger
Most of us show up to work every day without considering the possibility of suffering a fatal injury on the job. And while most workers survive a day on the job, the fact is the national average fatal injury rate for all workers is 3.6 per 100,000 full-time employees.
It is clear that more prevention needs to go into improving the safety of dangerous worksites.
Experiencing a fatal injury at work will happen to roughly one in 25,000 workers. That’s a troubling number.
Every year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics records fatal and nonfatal injuries on the job to determine each career’s fatal injury rate. This resource shows how dangerous every career is and provides a list of the most common causes of occupational injury.
The most common causes of fatal workplace injury, in order, are:
- Transportation incidents
- Violence or injury by humans or animals
- Falls, slips, and trips
- Contact with dangerous objects or equipment
While Business Insider has listed America’s 34 most dangerous careers, we’re going further. We’ve identified the locations where several dangerous careers converge at unusually hazardous job-sites.
Five Extra-Dangerous Worksites
The five dangerous worksites listed below are places where people of one or more careers with higher than average fatal injury rates work together. Combining jobs with high rates of injury makes the below some of America’s most overall dangerous workplaces in need of professional security services.
All the following fatal and nonfatal injury rates are estimates per 100,000 full-time workers in each line of work.
1. Construction Sites
Construction sites easily top the list of most dangerous places to work. Construction security is so critical, with at least eight of the country’s most dangerous careers represented in one place due to the many phases and requirements of building construction.
Construction Workers
Construction laborers face daily risk at the job, surrounded by dangerous moving equipment, heavy and sharp items, and other hazardous working conditions.
Fatal injuries: 15.1
Nonfatal injuries: 2,961
First-Line Supervisors
Directly responsible for supervision of all construction activities, supervisors experience the same danger as other construction personnel, but at increased risk from their level of involvement across activities.
Fatal injuries: 18.0
Nonfatal injuries: 1,060
Iron and Steel Workers
Responsible for the structural form of a building, those who work with iron or steel beams and columns face an exceptionally high rate of death on the job.
Fatal injuries: 25.1
Nonfatal injuries: 2,158
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
Operating heavy machinery always comes with risk of injury or death – especially when the heavy machinery you’re operating is used to transport and move other heavy materials.
Fatal injuries: 6.1
Nonfatal injuries: 1,063
Painters
In the context of construction and maintenance, factoring in heights, scaffolding, pulley systems, and the dangers of a worksite under construction, it’s apparent just how risky painting can be.
Fatal injuries: 8.6
Nonfatal injuries: 1,935
Operating Engineers & Other Equipment Operators
Power equipment is always dangerous, but on the scale required for construction projects it becomes deadly
Fatal injuries: 10.6
Nonfatal injuries: 674
Heating and Air Mechanics and Installers
Fatal injuries: 8.4
Nonfatal injuries: 2,620
Electricians
Fatal injuries: 10.0
Nonfatal injuries: 1,388
2. Agricultural Sites
Farms and agricultural sites are home to heavy machinery, large animals, dangerous chemicals, and adverse weather. They’re also home to at least three of the country’s deadliest occupations.
Agricultural Workers
Farm work not only requires the use of heavy machinery and dangerous chemicals, but it often involves working with potentially dangerous animals. A surprising number of workplace deaths in the U.S. are caused by animal attacks. It’s safe to say farmworkers are among those most at risk of injury caused by animals.
Fatal injuries: 17.4
Nonfatal injuries: 1,316
Farmers, Ranchers, and Agricultural Managers
As with workers, so with managers. It is interesting to note, however, that managers experience a greater number of jobsite deaths, but not nearly as many nonfatal injuries.
Fatal injuries: 23.1
Nonfatal injuries: 28
Maintenance and Repair Workers
Farm equipment is heavy, complicated, and requires constant upkeep. The workers who maintain it risk of bodily injury thanks to the nature of the equipment and surroundings they work with.
Fatal injuries: 13.4
Nonfatal injuries: 2,196
3. Refuse and Recycling Facilities
A truly unexpectedly dangerous location, facilities for the disposal and recycling of refuse turn out to be highly hazardous. We’re only representing two of the deadliest jobs here, but the fatal injury rate for workers dealing in recyclables and refuse is extraordinarily high.
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
Fatal injuries: 34.1
Nonfatal injuries: 2,702
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
Fatal injuries: 6.1
Nonfatal injuries: 1,063
4. Automotive Repair Shops
Power tools, strong chemicals, moving vehicles, and electrical hazards are just a few of the dangers associated with auto repair shops.
Auto Technicians and Mechanics
Fatal injuries: 7.2
Nonfatal injuries: 2,057
Bus and Truck Mechanics, Diesel Specialists
Fatal injuries: 8.1
Nonfatal injuries: 1,923
5. Warehouses and Storage Yards
Truck and Tractor Operators
This position features a few times on the list as so many worksites require truck and tractor operators to make things happen. Unfortunately, this increases the site’s total risk for incidences of injuries and deaths.
Fatal injuries: 6.1
Nonfatal injuries: 1,063
Hand Laborers, Freight, Stock & Material Movers
While the fatality rate for this position is above average, it’s one of the lower rates on this list. However, the nonfatal injuries experienced by these workers are much more frequent than for any other job listed.
Fatal injuries: 5.2
Nonfatal injuries: 3,068
Stop Preventable Injury & Death on Dangerous Worksites
Improved security can help prevent injury and death on dangerous worksites.
Remote monitored video surveillance is one easy-to-implement and easy-to-afford option that can improve worksite safety and after-hours security.
Mobile Video Guard offers just such a service for employers in Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and the Chesapeake Bay region. We serve the country’s most dangerous worksites with cost-effective, high-tech mobile video surveillance solutions, using security cameras and remote monitoring specialists to deter crime, identify hazards, improve efficiency and monitor operations from afar.
Interested in what Mobile Video Guard can do for you to help reduce workplace injuries? Please give us a call at (844) 732-3582 or submit a request for a quote online!
