The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”) compiles workplace death reports from across the country and releases its research results annually. The annual reports, given the need for data accumulation and analysis, are finalized as fast as possible. For more, read Top 10 Most Dangerous Jobs of 2021, written by Dave Blanchard and published by EHS Today on February 25, 2021.
The Annual BLS Top Ten List of Most Dangerous Jobs
In our last post, we discussed the annual Top Ten List released by OSHA where the federal safety regulations that are most often violated are calculated and released. See, 2021 OSHA Top Ten List of Violations Released: Workers No Safer from Known Injury Risks.
In December 2020, the BLS released its study results for the year 2019, giving its own Top Ten List of the Most Dangerous Jobs in America based on its fatal work injury rate. This is the BLS’s calculation of fatality risk for a particular job based upon 100,000 full-time equivalent workers.
- See, National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2019, USDL-20-2265, published by the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics on December 16, 2020 (“BLS Census Report”).
The latest BLS Census reports that the overall worker fatality rate to be 3.5%. Compare that number to the latest BLS compilation of the Ten Most Dangerous Jobs in America (BLS Census Report, page 9):
1] Fishing and hunting workers: 145%
2] Logging workers: 68.9%
3] Aircraft pilots and flight engineers: 61.8%
4] Roofers: 54.0%
5] Helpers, construction trades: 40.0%
6] Refuse and recyclable material collectors: 35.2%
7] Driver/sales workers and truck drivers: 26.8%
8] Structural iron and steel workers: 26.3%
9] Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers: 23.2%
10] Grounds maintenance workers: 19.8%.
The BLS fatality work injury rate study is important to everyone concerned about keeping workers safe in this country, and especially in Indiana and Illinois, because it reveals the level of injury risk and danger of death facing workers in their particular occupation.
For instance, the latest BLS study warns that commercial truck drivers are at the highest risk of dying while on the job in this country: truckers account for around 20% of the total work fatalities. BLS Census Report, page 2.
BLS Top Ten List Comparison: No Change from Prior Year
As with the OSHA Top Ten List, things have not changed on the BLS list of the ten most dangerous jobs in this country today. Most occupations stayed in their same position on the list; however, farmers and ranchers were a bit safer in the current study and the top two swapped positions from the prior year.
The same ten occupations remain on the latest BLS Top Ten List as appeared the previous year. None of these industries became significantly safer for worker fatality risks.
Construction Work Becoming More Deadly: Rising Trend Since 2007
Moreover, the dangers of working construction remain unacceptably high as revealed in both lists. The OSHA Top Ten List warns that fall protection remains the most common safety standard ignored on the construction site today.
The BLS Top Ten List warns that construction worker deaths rose in the past year, with construction deaths moving up the list to rank among the top five causes of worker deaths (up from ranking ninth in the previous year).
This is a disturbing trend as construction and extraction occupations increased by 6 percent in 2019… to the highest figure since 2007.
Insurance Companies Ranking Dangerous Jobs for Insurance Coverage
Within the private sector, the insurance industry considers the research findings of OSHA and BLS, as well as its own internal analysis, in determining the most dangerous jobs in this country for purposes of providing insurance coverage. The more likely the risk of a fatal injury on the job, the higher the risk that the carrier will have to pay on a claim and therefore, the higher the policy premium that will be charged. Read, “The Most Dangerous Jobs That Affect Life Insurance Rates,” by Jason Patterson and published by InsureNow265 on February 11, 2021.
So, what are the most dangerous jobs in this country, according to the nation’s life insurance carriers? Some dangerous lines of work are deemed “high risk” but insurable; other occupations are considered so dangerous that many carriers will not cover workers with life insurance policies.
Dangerous Jobs with Higher Insurance Premiums
The following occupations are examples of those considered “high risk” jobs that require much higher premiums to be paid for life insurance coverage:
- Fishermen;
- Loggers;
- Pilots;
- Police Officers;
- Roofers;
- Garbage Collectors;
- Farmers/Ranchers;
- Truck Drivers; and
- Power Line Repairmen.
Dangerous Occupations Where Life Insurance May Not Be Available
Some lines of work are considered to be so dangerous that life insurance companies may not be willing to provide any life insurance coverage for that worker. These include:
- Truck Drivers Hauling Hazardous Waste or Explosives;
- Iron and Steel Mills: High Rise Steelworkers / Smelter; and
- Oil and Gas Rigs: Various Jobs (roughnecks, roustabouts, derrickmen, etc.).
Justice for Workers Killed in Dangerous Job Fatalities under the Laws of Indiana or Illinois
Of importance to those representing injury victims and their loved ones here in Indiana and Illinois are the clear warnings given in both the BLS and OSHA studies as well as the private insurance company premium perspective: unacceptably high risks of serious injury or death continue to plague workers in Indiana and Illinois as well as the rest of this country.
Construction workers, truck drivers, steel mill workers, as well as those working on our local farming operations and other high-risk industries here must face the reality each day that there is a very real risk of death involved in simply doing their job which is obviously not being curtailed by employers and others with a duty to keep workplaces safe from harm.
These unchanging statistics confirm a consistent lack of action by employers in these industries to take necessary and substantial steps to make jobs sites safer for workers in recognized high-risk occupations. Sadly, all too often these employers are more focused upon their bottom line and maximizing their annual revenue than taking the steps – and the expense – to increase work site safety for workers.
State and Federal Protections
For workers who are victims of deadly accidents on the job, the state laws of Illinois and Indiana provide Worker’s Compensation coverage that provides avenues for justice to both injured workers and their families. For more, read:
- Illinois Workers Compensation System Overhaul Became Law on September 1, 2011: How Does It Impact Your Workers Compensation Claim? and
- Workers’ Compensation in Indiana and Illinois: Work-Related Injuries and the Fight Against Corporate Greed.
In some situations, federal laws may apply to worker fatality claims. See, Work Injuries and On-the-Job Accidents in Indiana and Illinois With Federal Law Protections: FELA, Jones Act, LHWCA, DBA; and The Jones Act vs. the Longshoreman and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act for Maritime Workers.
Other Civil Claims
Finally, each case must be investigated and given individual respect for the particular circumstances surrounding the accident and subsequent death of the worker involved in a dangerous job. There may be occasions where independent claims may be available under the personal injury laws of the state where the accident happened.
- For more, read: Job Site Injury in Illinois or Indiana: When Accidents at Work Are Not Worker’s Compensation Claims.
It is frustrating to realize that each year, the same jobs continue to be considered as the most dangerous jobs in our country despite notorious dangers and the availability of safety standards and protocols to make work sites safer for those on the job. Please be careful out there!
