5 Most Dangerous Jobs in the World

When an option is given to change their current job, most people will opt for an exciting and adventuress job - maybe in a total opposite field. However, some jobs seem fun on the outside, but there are many risks involved. Lets look at some of the dangerous jobs in the world.

It may seem very fun and exciting to conquer the oceans trying to catch fishes, but the reality is a bit different. Just watch the Discovery program Deadliest Catch to find the truth about this occupation. Although the technology has enhanced the fishing industry, the extreme weather conditions, harsh environment and the pressure can make it a very stressful job. Sometimes it can even cost your life. One fishermen who met a fatal accident was 53 year-old Bill Meldrum, whose leg got caught in one of the boat’s pulleys.

I admit - seeing a construction worker doing his work across the street does not seem very dangerous. However, we must not forget that they also have to do their job in some very tough environment: underground, high altitudes and busiest highways are just a few to name. Moreover, working with heavy and dangerous materials, explosives and high-voltage cables make this work very challenging and hard. In 2009, 55-year-old Stanley Roberts was working about 50 feet in the air when he fell out of the basket and was fatally injured. According to the Officials, he was wearing a safety harness but it was not attached to anything.

Although the air stunts seem very fascinating from the tribune, the job of a stunt pilot is very precise yet extremely dangerous. These aerobatic stunts involve rotation of the aircraft in various ways, such as spin, loop or hammerhead. Especially the technological developments have made the stunts riskier. Vicki Cruse, winner of U.S. national unlimited aerobatic title in 2007, lost her life in 2009 while she was performing her act to qualify for the World Aerobatic Championships.

Working in a cold, noisy, dark and damp environment cannot be easy, especially when it is underground. Coal miners have to wear emergency breathing devices all the time for protection. In old days, miners brought birds as canaries into the mines to determine the air quality. If the bird struggled to breath, they would know that the work environment is not safe enough. One of the worst mining disaster happened in China (1942) – 1549 miners died.

While most of us will run away from the fire, firefighters do the opposite – saving lots of lives every day. It takes a lot of courage and bravery to put your life in danger to save others. The risk of losing their lives, inhalation of smoke and toxic materials, horrible burns and injuries are some serious threats to deal with. Also, we should not forget the mental pressure that is caused by this job. According to USFA (2011), 59.2 % of the fatal injury of firefighters in US was caused by stress/overexertion leading.