One of the most common ways to measure the dangerousness of an occupation is by the total number of fatalities in a year. Going by that metric, truck drivers and material moving occupations are at the top of the list, with 1,388 fatal injuries in 2016, according to recent data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, that number is up 7% over the previous year, the highest it's been since 2007, and all told fatalities among drivers accounts for more than one-quarter of all work-related fatalities in the U.S. Little surprise, then, how much attention is being given to the development of autonomous vehicles and intelligent highway projects.
However, another metric provided by the BLS offers a different perspective on the overall danger factor of a job: fatal work injury rate, calculated per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. So any occupation with a higher percentage of its workers suffering fatal injuries would end up being higher on the list than drivers. It's not an enviable list to be on, there's no doubt about that.
This slideshow offers a look at the 10 most dangerous occupations, according to fatal work injury rate.
