Although most businesses and employers in New Jersey and elsewhere consider workplace safety to be an incredibly important goal, it can be difficult to actually achieve safety, especially when it comes to certain industries. Some industries just have more hazards than others, which can make creating a safe workplace difficult for employers in these particular industries.
The logging industry is considered to be the most dangerous job in the U.S. Per 100,000 full-time workers, there are 135.9 reported fatal work injuries. This comes out to a total number of 91 deaths in 2016. The fishing industry came in second with a fatal work injury rate of 86 per 100,000 workers and a total of 24 deaths. Flight engineers and pilots rounded out the top three with 55.5 fatal work injuries per 100,000 workers and a total of 75 deaths in 2016. Roofers also made the list with a fatal injury rate of 48.6 and 101 total deaths.
In general, the top four most dangerous occupations are not surprising. However, some of the hazards that workers in these occupations and in other dangerous workplaces may be surprising. For example, in 2016, more workers died as a result of workplace violence than slips, trips and falls.
Employers are responsible for making their workplaces as safe as possible. However, workplace injuries can still occur. As such, workers’ compensation may cover certain damages that a worker sustains if he or she becomes injured while on the job. The benefits may cover medical costs and even a portion of the worker’s wages if he or she cannot work for a certain amount of time due to the injury. If a worker becomes injured while on the job, an attorney may help walk the person through the process of filing a claim or even filing an appeal if the initial claim is denied.