When we talk about the world’s most dangerous jobs, we usually mean those with the highest risk of injury or fatal injury. Most people do not willingly take on dangerous jobs knowing that there is a high chance of either. Although work related deaths have fallen over the years, some jobs are still incredibly dangerous.

In America each year, almost 6,000 deaths are due to work related accidents. Also each year, almost 1.4 million work related injuries require either medical attention or recuperation away from work. In a lot of dangerous jobs, the pay scale usually reflects the degree of danger involved.

One of the most dangerous jobs is timber cutting. People who cut down trees have an accident rate of 118 per 100,000 workers. Most of the deaths occur due to falling trees. The death rate for timber cutters is nearly 30 times that of the average worker. Timber cutters earn around 60,000 US dollars (USD) over a ten month period.

Another extremely dangerous job is in the fishing industry. Fishing is ranked the second most dangerous job in the world. Out of every 100,000 workers, there are 71 fatalities due to work related incidents. Deep sea fishing with treacherous weather conditions accounts for a large percentage of this. Not surprisingly, drowning is the number one cause of death in the fishing industry.

Crab fishing in Alaska is extremely dangerous. The weather conditions are so severe that ice can capsize the boats. The machinery involves huge steel cages, and the fishing season lasts for only four weeks. There are around 400 deaths for every 100,000 workers in the shellfish industry. On a good day, a crab fisherman can earn around 1,000 USD.

Commercial aircraft pilots rank third place on the dangerous jobs list. They have almost 70 deaths per 100,000 workers. One of the biggest factors is weather conditions. Pilots flying in Alaska have the highest fatality rate of all. During an Alaskan pilot’s 30-year career, he or she has a one in eight chance of being fatally injured.

Some reports have mining at the top of the list as one of the world’s most dangerous jobs. Even with today’s sophisticated mining equipment, cave-ins are a frequent occurrence. Large numbers of lives are lost because of this.

There are a number of other dangerous jobs in which fatalities are extremely high. Highway construction and jobs that involve driving are among these. Farm workers, due to the heavy machinery involved, also have a high fatality rate. Roofers, engineers and structural metal workers are all also placed in the top ten most dangerous jobs in the world.