Last year was the safest year in the American workplace, but heights, weather and heavy equipment still put many people at risk. Which 10 jobs are the worst?
The American workplace is safer than ever despite some recent job-related disasters, such as the West Virginia coal mining explosion and the Gulf oil-rig catastrophe.
Only 4,340 people died on the job last year, down 16.8% from 2008, according to new data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That's a rate of 3.3 deaths per 100,000 workers -- the lowest ever reported by the BLS.
Here's a look at some of the most dangerous jobs and how workers keep themselves safe.
America's Most Dangerous Jobs
Fisherman
Fatality Rate: 200 per 100,000
Median Wages: $23,600
The most perilous job in the U.S. is held by those who fish the waters in cold-weather states. Freezing water and icy boat decks can lead to horrific accidents, and storms can swamp small fishing vessels, sometimes claiming entire crews.
Logger
Fatality Rate: 61.8 per 100,000
Median Wages: $34,440
Logging takes an annual toll like few other occupations. The biggest hazard, according to Roger Smith of RL Logging in Olympia, Wash., comes from logging mountain slopes.
"You're working steep terrain with 70-degree, 80-degree grades with rocks and sliding logs," he says.
Airplane Pilots
Fatality Rate: 57.1 per 100,000
Median Wages: $106,240
When former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens died in a small plane accident recently, it underscored the hazards Alaskan bush pilots face.
That crash followed the script of many Alaskan accidents, where the most common cause of fatalities is "flying into terrain, under speed," according to the BLS.
Farmers and Ranchers
Fatality Rate: 35.8 per 100,000
Median Wages: $32,350
Both farmers and ranchers deal with many hazardous conditions in their workplace. In many cases, accidents result when workers get fatigued or hurry to complete a job.
Roofers
Fatality Rate: 34.7 per 100,000
Median Wages: $33,970
Height increases danger -- and roofing is an occupation where elevation is part of the job description.
Kevin Coleman has been roofing safely for 24 years, since age 18. He works commercial buildings with mostly flat roofs, so the possibility of falling is lower. Although he has worked as high as a 70-story building in downtown Chicago.
Ironworkers
Fatality Rate: 30.3 per 100,000
Median Wages: $44,500
The men and women who build the skyscrapers and bridges of modern America have always been held in awe by the general public.
Images of them walking a four-inch steel beam hanging 500-feet above the street or sliding down an I-beam illustrate the conditions that would have lesser workers curling into a fetal position and crying for their mommies.
Sanitation Worker
Fatality Rate: 25.2 per 100,000
Median Wages: $32,070
Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis Tenn., when he came to support black sanitation workers who were striking against unequal treatment.
Ironically, 40 years later, that conflict continues to have an impact on the health and safety of Memphis sanitation workers.
Industrial Machinist
atality Rate: 18.5 per 100,000
Median Wages: $39,600
One of the biggest hazards of working with industrial machinery is handling the heavy weights. Machines can buck or shift, easily crushing a fragile human being.
Machinery in use in unforgiving. Loose clothing or long hair can be caught by chains or gears and mangle workers before the equipment can be brought to a stop.
Truckers and Drivers/Sales Workers
Fatality Rate: 18.3 per 100,000
Median Wages: $37,730
Mark Sutherland is a long-haul trucker with a track record of 2 million miles without an accident. But not all drivers can make that boast.
More truckers and sales delivery men die on the job than any of the other top 10 occupations due to a moderately high fatality rate and a large number of workers.
Construction Laborer
Fatality Rate: 18.3 per 100,000
Median Wages: $29,150
Building sites contain many of the hazardous conditions present in many of the most dangerous jobs. Workers are outdoors in all sorts of weather conditions, often at great heights and exposed to heavy materials and machinery.
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