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6 of America’s Most Dangerous Jobs

If you’re job hunting during the pandemic, then you know that there’s not as much work out there as you might like.

Also, some of the jobs that normally aren’t dangerous are perilous now because you have to work around other people.

Even with masks, many individuals are nervous, and it’s easy to understand why.

As Covid-19 continues to threaten this country, some people who are out of work are thinking about new career fields. Maybe you’re one of those who are searching for a new way to make money.

As you explore your options, remember that some jobs are dangerous even when there’s not a pandemic happening. Let’s look at some of the deadliest careers in this country.

Logging Workers

If you’re choosing a safe occupation, then you probably won’t want to get into logging. Logging workers:

  • Work with dangerous equipment
  • Can easily lose fingers or limbs
  • Can face injury from falling trees

There’s something romantic-seeming about working out of doors, seeing nature’s splendor, and being around rustic people. It calls to mind Jack London, sled dogs, and the Yukon.

However, the reality is these positions don’t pay particularly well, and injuries happen all the time. The equipment you’re working with is often sharp, heavy, or cumbersome.

Think hard before you go into this career field.

Roofers

If you’re a roofer, there are some definite perks. For instance:

  • There’s steady work
  • You’ll have a marketable skill that’s always in demand
  • You can start your own business or work for a company

That’s the good, now onto the bad.

Roofing is a dangerous career because you’re often working many feet up in the air. If you slip on a wet roof or trip over some tools, you could plummet to the ground.

You can easily break an arm, a leg, or even your neck. You need to have excellent balance and be wary at all times.

One mishap, and you could end up in a wheelchair for the rest of your life.

Fishing

Fishing is another one of those outdoor jobs that sounds like it might be fun to try. In reality, it’s tough work, and it seldom pays very well.

More importantly, fishing workers face injuries all the time. Like logging, you’re working around a lot of equipment that is inherently dangerous. Sharp hooks, nets, and similar tools of the trade can harm you, sometimes severely.

It might exhilarate you, the prospect of getting out on the open water in the fresh air. Just remember that you’re taking your life in your hands when you do.

Pilots

Flight engineers and aircraft pilots are the jobs on this list that make the most money. Pilots easily command six-figure salaries.

As a pilot or engineer, you get to visit different parts of the world, even if you’re mostly just seeing airports.

However, there’s an obvious danger with flying. If you’re in a car accident, you’ll probably live, but if your plane falls out of the sky, then more than likely, you won’t survive.

More private plane crashes happen than with the large commercial companies. Retired basketball superstar Kobe Bryant’s death is a prime example of a private flight going wrong.

Garbage Collector

Refuse and recycling collectors also have a surprisingly dangerous job. The most common accidents are transportation-related.

If you work in this field, then you probably work as part of a team. You’re either driving or collecting bins from off the street. If the driver isn’t paying attention, they can back into the person doing the collecting.

You need to work at this job even in adverse weather conditions when visibility isn’t the best. Accidents happen frequently, and the pay isn’t that great either.

Ranchers and Farmers

Ranchers, farmers, and various agricultural workers also have perilous jobs. They work with lots of big, heavy equipment.

Even if you consider yourself an expert with it, you might lose focus for a second and severely injure yourself.

 

Transportation accidents often happen to farm workers, and the pay isn’t very good. However, you don’t often need a college degree to get yourself one of these jobs, which might appeal to some people.

Other dangerous jobs include truck drivers, steel and structural ironworkers, and window washers. Basically, any job where you’re high up in the air or working with heavy equipment can prove fatal.

As you look for work during the pandemic era, think about what’s going to pay you best, but also think about the mortality rate.

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