Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers | September 24, 2025 | Workers' Compensation
Have you ever wondered which jobs are the most dangerous? They may not be the occupations you associate with danger. More than one-third of the 5,283 workplace fatalities in 2023 were transportation-related. Jobs involving working from heights, machinery, or heavy equipment are also risky.
Overall, there are 3.5 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in the United States. These occupations have fatality rates up to 28 times higher than the national average. Here are the country’s most dangerous jobs with fatality rates from the BLS and common OSHA violations that put workers at risk.
1. Logging Workers (98.9 Fatalities per 100,000)
The logging industry historically has had the highest rate of fatal workplace accidents.
Logging dangers include:
- Contact with equipment or objects, the leading cause of death
- Remote work locations
- Unstable terrain
- Falling trees
- Heavy equipment
- Working at heights
There were 55 logger deaths in 2023.
2. Fishing and Hunting Workers (86.9 Fatalities per 100,000)
Commercial fishing exposes workers to extreme weather, dangerous equipment, and hazardous conditions. Many deaths in the fishing industry are due to overboard incidents, entanglement and drowning, or equipment accidents.
Hunting workers typically work in remote environments. Many fatal accidents are transportation-related while traveling to or from a job site in adverse conditions.
Overall, the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry has had one of the highest fatality rates in the United States.
3. Roofers (51.8 Fatalities per 100,000)
Roofers have the most dangerous job in construction, which is already one of the most dangerous industries. They face extreme heat and work at heights with a great risk for falls. Many construction deaths are fall-related, and roofers have a fatal fall rate much higher than that of other jobs in the industry.
4. Refuse & Recyclable Material Collectors (41.4 Fatalities per 100,000)
Recycling and trash collection are dangerous jobs because workers are on the road for their entire workday. Many of these work-related deaths are transportation-related. Workers are at the highest risk of serious injury outside their truck, loading or unloading material, usually alongside road traffic.
Most deaths don’t involve regular traffic collisions; they involve struck-by and caught-in/between incidents.
5. Aircraft Pilots & Flight Engineers (31.3 Fatalities per 100,000)
Small aircraft operations, weather, and remote landing strips are common factors.
While commercial flights are the safest way to travel, small planes and helicopters have a high rate of accidents. Commercial pilots and flight engineers often also fly their own small aircraft for charters, aerial photography, and other jobs. They don’t face the level of federal or corporate oversight as they do when flying commercially.
Engineers face unique risks like combustible fuel hazards or even being sucked into an engine. Pilots are usually killed in crashes related to mechanical failure, pilot inexperience, or pilot error.
6. Helpers, Construction Trades (27.4 Fatalities per 100,000)
Construction trades helpers, also known as laborers, help skilled tradespeople on the job site or perform general unskilled construction labor. They may set up scaffolding, dig trenches, prepare the site, or assist a roofer or electrician.
Construction laborers are the most vulnerable workers on a construction site to OSHA violations—the most common violations involve:
- Fall protection training
- Ladders and scaffolding
- General fall protection
- Hazard communication
- Personal protective equipment (eye, face, and respiratory protection)
- Machine guarding
These workers face diverse hazards, including falling debris, falling hazards, electrical hazards, and heavy machinery. The leading causes of construction accident deaths include exposure to harmful environments or substances and slips, trips, and falls.
7. Truck Drivers and Other Drivers (26.8 Fatalities per 100,000)
Commercial vehicle accidents, car accidents, and other collisions are a leading cause of accidental death, responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in the United States every year.
Because truck drivers spend most of their time on the road, they have a much higher risk of dying in a crash than other motorists. Delivery drivers, long-haul truckers, and other drivers can be victims of fatal work-related injuries.
Contact Our Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyers for Help After a Workplace Accident
A job isn’t just dangerous if it has a high risk of death; many dangerous occupations instead have a high rate of serious or disabling injury. Every year, thousands of workers suffer catastrophic injuries that change their lives forever.
If you need help understanding workers’ compensation benefits, your right to file a third-party lawsuit, or anything else about your workplace injury, call Hammers Law Firm to schedule a free consultation. Our Atlanta personal injury lawyers are ready to help support your rights, no matter which avenue you pursue.
We serve Fulton County and its surrounding areas:
Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers – Atlanta
201 Joseph E Lowery Blvd NW Suite 312,
Atlanta, GA 30314
Open 24/7
(770) 900-9000
Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers – Sandy Springs
5555 Glenridge Con, Suite 975,
Sandy Springs, GA 30342
Open 24/7
(678) 990-7024
Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers – Lawrenceville
265 Culver St S. Suite A.
Lawrenceville, GA 30046
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(678) 626-5067
Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers – Mableton
5701 Mableton Pkwy SW Suite 108,
Mableton, GA 30126
Open 24/7
(706) 480-5487
Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers – Smyrna
2400 Herodian Way Ste#220,
Smyrna, GA 30080
Open 24/7
(678) 922-4497
Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers – Roswell
110 Mansell Cir #111,
Roswell, GA 30075
Open 24/7
(678) 582-8466
About Robert M. Hammers Jr.
Robert M. Hammers, Jr. is the managing partner at Hammers Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers in Atlanta. Committed to justice, he represents individuals harmed by negligence, focusing on personal injury litigation.
With over 50 jury trials and $100 million in verdicts and settlements, Rob is known for his strategic thinking and dedication to achieving the best outcomes for his clients. He serves on the Executive Committee for the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the American Association for Justice Board of Governors, and the Plaintiff Leadership Committee in complex multi-district and toxic tort litigations, where he advocates for injured individuals and shapes legal strategies.
Robert is also recognized on Justia for his excellence in personal injury law, further highlighting his reputation and commitment to client advocacy.
