Workers can certainly be injured working in any job, in any industry. But it’s also clear that some industries carry a higher level of risk. Accidents are more serious, they happen more often or they’re more likely to be fatal.
But there are a few different ways to qualify which one counts as the “most dangerous” industry. Here are four different ways that you can look at the statistics.
The most fatal accidents
If you strictly look at the total number of fatal accidents and workplace deaths, the highest numbers come from the construction industry. Part of the reason for this is simply that there are millions of construction workers, so there are a lot of people being exposed to these risks.
The highest fatality rate
Another way to look at this is by seeing which industry has the most fatal accidents for every 100,000 workers. If you look at the fatality rate instead of the total number of accidents, then the most dangerous industries are agriculture, hunting, fishing and forestry.
The most non-fatal injuries
Of course, many serious injuries are not fatal. The greatest number of these come from health services and education services. Some of these injuries could still be very severe without being deadly.
The injury rate
Naturally, you can also look at the injury and illness rate, checking to see which industry has workers who miss the most days. When looking at the highest rate of missed days, the greatest risk is in warehousing and transportation services.
This helps to show how workers face risks on the job every day. Those who have been injured or lost loved ones certainly need to know about their legal options.