Even
a good job has its drawbacks. That’s the case with these 18 – they’re
well-paying, society-building occupations for which workers potentially
risk their emotional and physical health when clocking in each day. You
don’t have to just take our word for it, though. Learn more about the
professions the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports have the highest
fatal work injury rates and that the job website CareerCast has deemed
the most stressful.
1. Taxi Drivers
Median Salary: $22,840
Taxi drivers dodge and weave
thousand-pound hunks of metal in and out of traffic – of course their
job is dangerous. CareerCast ranks its most stressful jobs based on 11
criteria; cabbies took the No. 10 slot because they consistently
endanger their life as well as the lives of their passengers while
traveling through varied road conditions.
2. Police Officers
Median Salary: $56,130
Police officers have one of the
highest rates of injuries and illness, the BLS reports, largely due to
the varied physical and emotional demands associated with the position.
And though it isn’t one of the top 10 jobs with most reported
fatalities, police officers did earn the No. 9 spot on CareerCast’s list
of most stressful jobs for 2014.
3. Logging Workers
Median Salary: $34,190
This is when this list gets
really dour. Harvesting forest is injury-prone even when done correctly
and safely – logging workers contend with falling branches, hilly
terrain, flying wood chips, trip-ready vines and whirring chain saws.
The job also has one of the highest on-the-job fatality rates of any
profession, according to the BLS; in 2013 there were 59 logging deaths.
4. Senior Corporate Executives
Median Salary: $171,610
Office bigwigs don’t necessarily
live the life of Riley. The pressures of running a corporation,
developing initiatives and meeting fiscal expectations could take
considerable toll on a senior office executive, which took the No. 7
slot on CareerCast’s list of most stressful jobs. Another mitigating
factor: senior corporate execs are often sedentary, which could lead to a
hodgepodge of physical woes.
5. Newspaper Reporters
Median Salary: $35,600
It’s uncommon for a newspaper
reporter to suffer from a serious on-the-job injury. But this profession
could hurt your health due to the emotional strain it causes – which
anyone who has stared-down the face of a looming, daunting deadline can
identify with. Newspaper reporter was the No. 8 job on CareerCast’s list
of stressful jobs for 2014.
6. Fishers
Median Salary: $35,270
Recreational fishing is a popular
unwinding pastime for many, but commercial fishing is dangerous and
strenuous. Fishers have to be diligent when surrounded by slippery
decks, easy-to-snare nets and puncture-producing fishing equipment,
particularly since their isolated working conditions make receiving
prompt medical attention difficult. In 2013 there were 27 reported
fatalities, according to the BLS. Most commercial fishing fatalities are
caused by drowning.
7. Roofers
Median Salary: $35,520
This profession involves lots of
heavy lifting, climbing, bending and kneeling. There’s also the chance
of suffering a heat-related injury, since both roof repair and roof
installation are popular construction jobs during the warmer months. But
the most frightening health hazard involved with being a roofer is the
chance of slipping and falling. There were 69 reported on-the-job deaths
for roofers in 2013, according to BLS.
8. Public Relations Executives
Median Salary: $54,940
Not convinced that PR could be
emotionally taxing and detrimental to your health? Consider this – the
average tenure of a White House press secretary is two years; President
Bill Clinton had five White House press secretaries in his eight years
in office, President George W. Bush had four and three have currently
served under President Barack Obama. CareerCast also thinks managing a
corporation’s image and communication with consumers, investors and the
media is a high-stakes occupation, and public relations executives
received the No. 6 slot on its list of most stressful jobs.
9. Event Coordinators
Median Salary: $46,260
Being an event coordinator
involves wrangling schedules, vendors, clients … and tense environments
and scenarios. Usually there’s also a great deal of travel involved in
this occupation – another key component CareerCast used to compile its
list. According to the job website, event coordinator is the No. 5 most
stressful job in 2014.
10. Garbage Collectors
Median Salary: $32,720
The BLS reported 33 garbage
collector fatalities in 2013. Less severe injuries might also occur when
picking up and disposing trash, ranging from having contact with
materials and chemicals to muscle strain from lifting heavy objects.
Roadway accidents are also possible for collectors who make neighborhood
rounds driving or riding on the back of a garbage truck.
11. Airline Pilots
Median Salary: $74,470
This occupation placed fourth on
CareerCast’s list because pilots’ unorthodox work schedules can result
in tremendous fatigue. Flying also requires considerable concentration,
compounded with the emotional wear of being responsible for the lives of
flight passengers. It was also one of the 10 jobs the BLS reports had
the most fatalities. In 2013 there were 63 pilot deaths.
12. Mining Machine Operators
Median Salary: $50,820
When it comes to danger, the
name of this profession says it all. These miners operate complex
machinery that breaks apart and transports some of the coarsest
materials: coal, metal and nonmetal ores, plus rock, stone and sand.
According to the BLS, there were 16 work fatalities in this occupation
in 2013.
13. Firefighters
Median Salary: $45,600
Firefighters constantly risk
their health and lives, entering dangerous conditions where they’re
potentially exposed to hazardous fumes and materials. The BLS reports
fatal work injuries among firefighters rose 194 percent to 53 in 2013,
from 18 in 2012. And like pilots, firefighters also have a chaotic
schedule, often working 24-hour shifts when they’re on-call and waiting
for the next emergency. The uncertainty of this job’s requirements and
routine particularly lead to its placement as CareerCast’s third-most
stressful occupation.
14. Delivery Truck Drivers
Median Salary: $29,170
The danger of being a delivery
truck driver is two-fold: They have heavy packages to haul and lift from
warehouses to homes and businesses. Then once in the truck, drivers
could be involved in a traffic accident. Drivers has the highest
fatality count of all occupations in 2013; the BLS reports there were
748 deaths.
15. Farmers and Ranchers
Median Salary: $70,110
Fatalities in farming and
ranching declined 13 percent in 2013, but still there’s risk involved in
operating complex machinery and equipment. Both farmers and ranchers
also come into contact with hazardous chemicals and pesticides. The BLS
notes there were 220 deaths in this industry in 2013.
16. Power Line Installers and Repairers
Median Salary: $64,170
Power line installers and
repairers endure arduous training on safety procedures and protocol
before they’re allowed to perform their jobs, and the BLS reports that
safety standards have improved and on-the-job fatalities have declined.
Still, there’s risk of injury and death from electrocution or falling
from a great height, and in 2013 this job had 27 reported deaths.
17. Military Personnel
Median Salary: $31,312
Members of the armed forces
experience all the components CareerCast assessed to compile its
ranking. But most notably, they place their lives in danger and bear the
responsibility – and stress – of looking out for the lives of others.
The BLS reports 67 fatal work injuries to resident military personnel in
2013, compared to 50 in 2012. CareerCast recognized military generals
as the second-most stressful job of this year, and enlisted personnel as
the most stressful profession in 2014.
18. General Construction Workers
Median Salary: $30,460
General construction labor
ranges from digging trenches to building scaffolding, so the types of
potential on-the-job injury also vary. According to the BLS, general
construction workers are susceptible to the “fatal four:” falls,
electrocution, being struck by an object or getting caught/trapped in
between two surfaces. There were 215 reported deaths in this job in
2013.
Source: Yahoo Health
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