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Just Doing Their Jobs

What are the most dangerous occupations and why do people do them? This is a question that interests safety officials and the media alike. You might be surprised to hear that along with the obvious choices such as police officer, detective, or security guard, a 1995 study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classified truck drivers, taxi drivers, farmers, and construction workers as having some of the most hazardous occupations in the United States.

The BLS assesses occupational hazards in a variety of ways. First, it looks at what's called "the fatality frequency count," which counts the number of fatalities for any given group compared to total fatalities for the year among all workers. Truck drivers, for instance, have the highest fatality frequency count, meaning that of all job-related fatalities, the most were among truck drivers. This figure, however, is influenced by the high number of truck drivers as compared to other occupations.

The BLS study also analyzes "fatality rates," calculated by dividing the fatalities in any given group (truck drivers, farmers, laborers, etc.) by the total number of workers within that group, expressing the risk of death within that occupation. Analyzing the data in this manner, it was found that fishers actually had the highest rate of job fatality, and truck drivers come in only ninth.

Finally, the BLS uses the previous two numbers to calculate the "index of relative risk": the risk of a certain occupation compared to all workers in general. For instance, a taxi driver's index of relative risk is 9.4, meaning that in 1995 a taxi driver was 9.4 times as likely to suffer a work-related fatality as the average worker. The occupation found to be most hazardous, with the highest index of relative risk, was that of commercial fishers: they are about 21 times as likely as the average worker to suffer a fatal injury on the job. Of course with this method of analysis, other, less prevalent occupations such as elephant trainer or bounty hunter could be classified as more dangerous due to the low number of people actually holding those positions. For this reason it's important to look at the fatality frequency count and fatality rates as well as the index of relative risk.

In addition to fatality, the Bureau of Labor Statistics also analyzed injuries and illnesses occurring in the workplace as well as the recuperation time for those injuries. They calculated a "chance of injury" index, concluding that the highest chance of injury occurs among laborers (through contact with a work-related object), and nursing aides and orderlies (through overexertion). A study by the U.S. Department of Justice and Bureau of Justice Statistics performed between 1992 and 1996 examined the risk of violence in the workplace. The results showed that about two million people in the U.S. are victims of violent crime in the workplace every year. The highest number of violent incidents happened to law enforcement officers (306 per 1,000 during the five-year period). Also included in the list of most vulnerable to criminal victimization were taxi drivers (higher even than private security guards), convenience store clerks, bartenders, and teachers. In the majority of cases, fatalities were caused by firearms. These violent hazards often increase when a job is performed outside of a factory or office, alone, or at night. Those who handle money are also at higher risk. According to the BLS, in 1995, homicide accounted for 16 percent of job-related fatalities—the second leading cause of death.

What makes people choose dangerous jobs? Sebastian Junger holds one opinion. Author of A Perfect Storm, a book chronicling the final voyage of the doomed fishing boat Andrea Gail, Junger has had his own experience with dangerous occupations. While working for a tree-cutting company, he tore off part of his leg with a chain saw. The experience prompted him to focus on dangerous occupations in his writing. He began to focus on fields such as logging, commercial fishing, fire fighting, journalism (foreign correspondents), and oil well drilling. In choosing his subjects, he differentiates thrill-seekers, who engage in risky behavior for the excitement factor, from other, generally less-educated workers who take risky jobs because they have to, in order to eat, and, ironically, in order to survive.

Junger may well have a point. For example, according to the BLS, taxi drivers' index of relative risk is 9.4 and a fatality count of 99 per 100,000. In New York, livery cab drivers, who drive for private car services across the city, have experienced a high rate of homicide in the past—about two killings per month—and most car services have had at least one driver who has been killed. Unlike Yellow Cab drivers, who mostly work the commercial areas of Manhattan, livery cab drivers will drive to more dangerous neighborhoods in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn. In fact, out of the 85 total cab drivers killed in 1992 and 1993, only twelve drove Yellow Cabs. So why do they do it? Because it's their livelihood. Most of the drivers are immigrants and don't speak English well enough to find other types of work, and official Yellow Cab medallions are quite expensive. Still, as with many dangerous occupations, earnings don't seem to compensate for the risk factor. After deducting expenses such as gas, oil, maintenance, and insurance, many drivers are lucky to take in over $500 a week.

Farmers experience other types of occupational hazards: tractor rollovers, accidents with farm equipment, highway accidents, and illness stemming from exposure to toxic chemicals and the sun. In addition to the inherent danger of farming, seasonal farmworkers, many of whom speak little English, suffer from lack of proper medical care and safety precautions, but for many it's the only life they know. Danger is something they fear, not seek, and it is a byproduct of a job necessary to survival.

Finally, although journalists are not included in the BLS list of most dangerous occupations, they are known for having dangerous assignments, especially war correspondents. For instance, eight journalists have died as a result of the war in Afghanistan alone. One of the most famous fatalities in recent years is that of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who, while following a lead for a story, was captured and killed by Muslim fundamentalists in Pakistan. Pearl was condemned by many for putting his life at risk while he had a pregnant wife at home—people wanted to know why he would do such a thing. Yet by all accounts, Pearl was not a reckless adventurer. He was known by his colleagues as a very cautious and prudent journalist. He even helped institute the Wall Street Journal's safety standards. Those who defend Daniel Pearl point out that reporting was his job—like a police officer's or a fire fighter's job and that Pearl did his best to perform his job safely. Unfortunately he was lured and trapped by skilled militants—an unforeseeable and unfortunate consequence of "just doing a job."

Clearly, many workers have to take risks they may not want to in order to survive—an ironic reality of many occupations. At the same time, it is important to recognize that these people are doing a service and that everyone depends on them to take risks in order to make our economy work. Otherwise, who would enforce the law, grow our food, shuttle us around town, or report the truth?


1		...a 1995 study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classified truck drivers, taxi cab drivers, farmers, and construction workers as having some of the most (dangerous) occupations in the United States.


2		The BLS study also analyzes (death) " rates"…


3		Of course with this method of analysis, other, less (common) occupations such as elephant trainer or bounty hunter could be classified as more dangerous…


4		A study by the U.S. Department of Justice and Bureau of Justice Statistics performed between 1992 and 1996 (looked at) the risk of violence in the workplace.


5		According to the BLS, in 1995, (murder) accounted for 16 percent of job-related fatalities—the second leading cause of death.


6		Author of "A Perfect Storm," a book (describing the events of) the final voyage of the doomed fishing boat Andrea Gail, Junger has had his own experience with dangerous occupations.


7		He was known by his colleagues as a very cautious and (sensible) journalist.


8		Otherwise, who would enforce the law, grow our food, (transport) us around town, or report the truth?

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