Lots of New Yorkers go to work in dangerous professions. Many of them have to work from heights, near the road or around dangerous machinery. Others spend their days lifting heavy objects or working with dangerous chemicals.
Finally, while people do not think about it, getting behind the wheel as part of one’s job is always a risk.
Truckdrivers have the most dangerous job in terms of overall fatalities
According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, loggers have the highest rate of deaths per worker, with 111 people per 100,000 dying while practicing this trade. Those who fly airplanes had the second highest fatality rate, at 53 per 100,000.
However, one reason these rates are so high is that these trades employ relatively few workers. To give an example, overall, 56 loggers died in work accidents in 2018. By comparison, 966 truckers and other commercial drivers died during the same year.
Non-fatal injuries can have life-altering consequences as well
It is also important to remember that the vast majority of workplace accidents do not involve fatalities.
Transportation workers, including truckers, also have a high rate of non-fatal injuries.
Likewise, people in what are traditionally seen as dangerous occupations, like construction or industrial work, also have higher rates of injuries in the private sector which require a worker to take at least 1 day off.
However, the statistics also show that nurses and other medical professionals are likely to suffer a significant injury or illness while on the job. They are, after all, exposed to toxins and other dangerous conditions. Likewise, the frequently are involved in moving or even lifting patients, sometimes several times in a day.
No matter their profession, New York workers who get hurt on the job should make sure they are fully aware of their options so they can be sure to get all the benefits to which they are entitled from the state’s workers’ compensation program.