We work hard in college to get a job that will pay the bills and potentially more.

Few of us stop to think that some of these jobs might be causing us more harm than we ever imagined.

It’s at this point that most people start to think of military roles – but this is the tip of the iceberg.

We recently came across this infographic from a national law firm. In summary, it listed the top 25 deadliest jobs by fatality rate, with the following five stealing the top rankings:

• Logging workers (97.59 deaths/100,000 workers)
• Fishers and related fishing workers (77.37 deaths/100,000 workers)
• Aircraft pilots and flight engineers (58.95 deaths/100,000 workers)
• Roofers (51.50 deaths/100,000 workers)
• Refuse and recyclable material collectors (44.33 deaths/100,000 workers)

Of course, some of these are hardly surprising. After all, while working in the aviation industry might be regarded as quite prestigious, we all know of the dangers. If you don’t, this guide might tell you a bit more about them or specifically, which companies you should be avoiding in the industry!

Some of the above might raise a few eyebrows, though. As an example, refuse collectors perhaps might start getting the respect that they deserve when one takes a look at their statistics. It’s worth mentioning that out of all of the deaths that have occurred within this role, the majority have been through “transportation incidents”.

Quite surprisingly, these jobs aren’t always worth the risk. If we take logging, which actually topped the above chart, this is something that would seemingly be avoided at all costs. It’s a field that’s shrinking, but the median earnings fall between $33,000 and $39,500. In other words, significantly less than the national median.

Of course, there are all sorts of methods that organizations can tap into to offset this. It might be providing the correct PPE, or where necessary, assessing the locations in which some of this work is taking place. Naturally, the latter sometimes isn’t an option though.

While there are plenty of dangerous jobs in the country, let’s end on a more positive note. If you are looking for a safer occupation, let’s hand you over to this resource.

This found the top ten safest in America although with an accountant, actuary, computer systems analyst, dietician and interpreter being top of the list, it perhaps doesn’t come as a surprise. Granted, the safety of these roles also took job security into account but for those looking for an all-round safer and more secure role, these are probably more relevant than others discussed through today’s piece!