For those of us that work within an office environment, the biggest dangers that we face during an average day at work are boredom and/or running out of biscuits to accompany a cuppa. In rare instances, office workers might have suffered from an injury in the workplace; it is quite unlikely that these injuries will be even slightly comparable to those sustained by those working in the most hazardous jobs in the world:
Transmission Tower Climber
As you can tell from the above video, the work of a transmission tower climber is not for anyone with a fear of heights! Even if you were able to get over your fears and climb to that great altitude, knowing that you will surely die should you fall due to a lack of any kind of harness (absent because the constant attachment and detachment of such would slow the worker down) means you would need the strongest of wills. It is hardly surprising then that those in this role are paid an average of $75,000 annual salary.
Climbing 1700 feet in order to reach your place of work makes commuting on an unreliable and packed train look like an utter cinch!
Fire Fighter
If you walked home one day to discover your home on fire, it is quite unlikely that you would be willing to enter the property to address the problem. You would probably be quite happy however to call 991 to have a group of other people do exactly that!
According to nfpa.org, around 100 firefighters die each year in America alone. Even those that do not suffer death or injury due to contact with relentless flames will often be straining their lungs from the regular exposure to and inhaling of smoke and this could prove fatal in the long run. Injuries are also sustained by firefighters during simulation training sessions.
Deminer
Demining is the process of safely removing land or naval mines from an area. Although there is such a thing as mine-clearing machines, manual demining by humans is employed far more often; machines only clear around 80% of mines whereas manual efforts are far more successful at 99.6% removal.
Thorough mine removal is imperative before an area can be used safely again – a poor survey of the land in question could actually result in more civilian mine-related deaths!
Although deminers are highly trained to disarm explosive weapons, one small mistake can see limbs removed and/or instant death. Around 80 deminers died each year between 1996 and 2002 – We wonder what the accident compensation payouts for their families were for such a dangerous job.
Logging
Trees that have been around for more than a few decades can be up to 100 feet high and have trunk diameters exceeding 40 inches. Loggers then, have to be incredibly careful to not be in the way once the trunk of a tree has been cut enough to see it fall!
Trees that are falling can often drop large dead branches that were trapped by other living branches before the tree was disturbed – a blow to the head by one of these also has the potential to kill.
Logging is particularly hazardous when undertaken on sloped terrains for felled trees can potentially slide downhill taking out any person or animal that happens to be in its path. We’ve not even begun to discuss the injuries that can occur from malfunctioning or poorly operated chainsaws!
Target Girls
Target girls are often used in circus and vaudeville ‘impalement acts’ and are considered to have chosen one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. These performances involve a beautiful female assistant standing in front of – or being strapped to – a board (which may or may not rotate) at which the ‘impalement artist’ then throws knives/other sharp items or shoots arrows as a dramatic demonstration of accuracy.
The woman in the picture might look happy but this is likely because she has yet to have ever been inadvertently hit! Whereas a knife to the leg, arm, or crotch area is likely to start and leave permanent scarring, a knife embedding into the chest, stomach, or head could be fatal. But hey, it’s all for the good of entertainment!
Did we miss any occupation that should have been a part of this list of the most hazardous jobs in the world? Let us know in the comments below!
