My comment is about welding/fitting. I too have worked on all types of welding /fitting jobs, from the installation of reactors systems to drain lines.

And I want to say that the person from the plant at middle-town Connecticut who said that they were being pushed to finish the project on time is true. I myself have been in the same situation.

And it seems that safety goes out the window when things most be done when a schedule has to be met.

Also it always seems to come around to be a welder's fault when a serious mishap occurs. I have had fire watches take off while I was under the hood and tank watches leave without notification, which not only left my life in jeopardy but also people around me.

And when these instances were brought to a supervisor's attention nothing was done.

So maybe there are more dangerous or hazardous jobs out there but in my book, welding is in the top five. And the reason is, while you are under the hood you don't know what's over your head, who may have moved some sort of chemical under you or even if the line you may be working on has been flushed out properly or if there is an inert gas purge being used.

Now a welder/fitter may have checked these procedures earlier but things happen during the course of a day and welders do die and they deserve respect and admiration for their skills and the dangers they face on a day to day basics.

Ive been a welder/fitter in the fabrication of pipe systems for some twenty-six years. These systems were from off loading stations and storage systems to HVAC unites. And I'm talking hundreds of tons. To power plants, chemical plants and pharmaceutical plants. And wonder why people don't have a true concept of just how dangerous or how hazardous this type of work truly is!

Just look at the Middletown Connecticut Gas powered plant from just the last couple of weeks.

And the accidents you don't hear about.

Firefighters are probably not on this list because about half of the deaths associated with firefighting are on the volunteer side making it, technically not a "workplace" injury.

There are approximately 125 ff deaths each year give or take (obviously not including Sept. 11). I don't know where that places them on the list and don't care as long as they come when they're called.

And as for their salaries, they deserve every bit of it and more. If I ever have to experience the kind of crisis that these individuals manage and mitigate every day, I would want someone there that knows what to do.

Also, the fire service, and the firefighters union (IAFF) have made great strides towards increased safety in the profession. Whether it is from better protective gear, better apparatus, or better operating procedures, there has been a great effort to decrease the number of deaths and injuries in that occupation.

Those who are quick to point at those "lazy fireman" and criticize will be he first to call them when their house/business is on fire, or when their mother is laying on the floor dying from a heart attack or stroke. At that point I think you would see that they earn every penny of their salary. Peace

I am proud to say I have a very dangerous job. I am a union ironworker and I really have to respect the aspect of death on the job.

We build America in some of the most hostile environments, not to mention my personal favorite, height.

So in conclusion I just wanted to go on record for myself and my brothers and sisters in the field every day dancing with death to say it is a dangerous job. M.E. IW Local 477

I climb cell phone towers and install antennas and and dishes, etc. but I just started and that crap is a crazy job. Its fun as hell though and I love it already. It's a rush. Climb a hundred feet plus up and stand on a little piece of pipe held in with U-bolts.

Bomb disposal.

With respect to #8, I suspect tree *faller* is what the article means is the most dangerous job, not tree trimmer. (Though I don't mean to downplay the dangers in tree trimming.) Tree faller is what tops other lists I've seen.

I am a firefighter and do believe that it is one of the top dangerous jobs. I also believe that there are many dangerous jobs out there and that people make jobs more dangerous by being careless.

I read some of these comments and just shake my head. We do love our jobs and it's not for everyone or just anyone -- it takes more than just getting up and going into work.

There are a lot of sacrifices made during your career, being personal, family and the list goes on. Anyone out there who says we are lazy and overpaid (which isn't much at all), go to your local F.D and ask to ride a 24 hour shift, maybe try a couple shifts (spaced apart) and see how demanding it can be. Runs all day, not being able to eat a meal without interruption, hope that when you lie down to sleep you don't have four or five runs at night and that when you leave the firehouse you pray to return because of not knowing what your scene is going to be when you arrive.

We do these things because we feel goodness in our hearts when that person's life was saved and they come thank you two weeks later, that's worth the 3-digit figures that we don't make. We do it because we love it -- not to get rich, so think before you down a firefighter because you actually have no idea what's going on

I would like to say thanks to all my brothers and sisters that get up to do their jobs and God bless them and their families.

I don't see bullfighting on your list .Where would they appear?

i think its great that pilots are at least ranked third. we go so many responsibilities every day. no matter how experienced we are bad weather could make our day the last day. when it comes to making decisions we do not have a book to look at and make decisions. it is our own responsibilities that will cause the next step. so i think pilots deserve third.

I think it is a firefighter because they jump into fire to save people and also risk their lives.

I think a really dangerous job is the military because of all the deaths and you don't know when it might be your last day. Not to show up any of the other jobs, they're pretty bad too, but my heart goes out to the military. I know so many people in the military and they were and are my family and I've lost so many family members to the war. i just think it's the worst. My heart will always remain with the military.

I have nothing but respect for firefighters. Can you even begin to measure the sacrifice of the FDNY on 9-11? These men and women went into buildings where they knew they might die--in order to save others.

There may be lazy firefighters somewhere, but I've never met one. They are first responders to wrecks, drownings, home medical calls and natural disasters. They are true public servants and are always ready to go where they are called, regardless of the potential danger to themselves. God bless them!

I don't know what in the world comment eleven is talking about. show me the 60 to 100 k paycheck. I am a firefighter and i make less than half of that. One day you're going to be in serious need of a firefighter and regret ever saying that. The simple fact is only 41 crab fisherman died in the last ten years. An average of two firefighters die every week! That's over a hundred per year. I have not spent one day just sitting around the station waiting for a call. There's a lot more behind the scenes that nobody knows about. I do not do what i do to be a hero, but I will not have somebody talk down to me and my brothers!

what about your local power worker? they work in any conditions: day or night rain snow, you name it, we do it.

I'm a firefighter and proud to be one. Dangerous? Yes at times, but I chose to do this as a career, not to be a hero or recognized as a dangerous job, but to make a difference, You may say I'm lazy, blah, blah, blah. sounds like you picked the wrong career.

man osha must have really improved the oil fields because that used to be the most dangerous.

You know it all just depends on if you have a good day or a bad day, when your time is up your time is up if you slip up, make a mistake or you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, all your training and safety devices won't save you. You will be checking out before you even know what happened to you.

How about a truck driver in Iraq, Afghanistan or explosive ordnance disposal and many other jobs? The only thing keeping a lot of the fatalities down is choppers and doctors.

Helicopter EMTs!

I'm a steepljack. There are very few in the country. It's pretty dangerous. Especially rigging.

Fire fighters are the most over paid lazy people. Their job ranks on the bottom of the list of OSHA dangerous jobs. 95 percent of their calls are accident-related and not fire. How many people do you know who get paid 60 to 100K to sit around a firehouse waiting for something to happen and then retire after twenty five years at 80 percent of their salary. Sick, lazy, disgusting.

I feel that there was one job that was left out. It may not be consistent as a firefighter or police officer which I feel deserves a lot of recognition for what they do. I am a servicemember for the US Army and since the attacks on the US, there has been a rise of soldier deaths in all branches of the service, Marine, Navy, Air Force and Army. I am a combat medic. I have seen many soldiers fall as casualties while in combat and back stateside. I'm not posting because I feel that the military should receive more recognition than any other job title. I just can't believe that it was not mentioned as a dangerous job considering the rigorous training we go through. Dealing with NBC chemicals to operating 70 ton vehicles and firing different variety of weapon systems and explosives. Some say that police officers and firefighters give there life for others well so does the military. For people that do not acknowledge what we do and that's defend our country...

I'm surprised there is no note about racehorse jockeys. As far as injury goes, these guys are near the top of the list. Thoroughbreds are large, fast, unpredictable, and spirited animals. Every jockey gets hurt; no exceptions. And the fact that they must stick to a very low weight only adds to the danger. Some have died just trying to keep their weight down. Incidents have been reported of riders passing out mid-race due to exhaustion from dehydration or low potassium levels. Jockeys are tough and put their lives on the line every day.

as for tree trimmers making an average of 60,000 in 10 month period. please let me know where that is cause i only make if i'm lucky with ot 30,000. i do line clearance tree trimming which should be in its own category separate from regular tree trimmers, because we work around the power lines and falling limbs trees etc... we have more people die each year than any other industry. but what all these people don't realize is all these deaths can be prevented. with proper training and positive intervention before something goes wrong.

In response to comment made by 15345 they're not on the list because they don't want to be listed as heroes. Are you saying that some logger goes to work thinking if he gets killed he is going to be a hero? or some fisherman, high steel worker, coal miner etc. come on there, police and fireman, not on the list because of training and safety measures. there is no limit to training etc. when you are using tax dollars. their not on the list because they don't qualify in the top ten. simple as that. there is definitely danger in their jobs, just not top ten danger. period.

I dont believe that firefighters or police are at any more risk than the average soldier...That is a bogus comment about them not wanting to be heroes so the deaths arent listed. There are only so many personality types and most police fall into the same group. They have better safety equipment and training that a lot of the other occupations dont have. There are jobs out there that are more dangerous than fishing....Look at the wind turbine commissioners...there are less than 400 that work for GE and there was something like 8 near fatal to fatal accidents last year. This means that people died or were severely injured...Do the math on that. We arent talking per 100k employees with those numbers and that doesnt count the rest of the wind community either.

i find it hard to believe that 55% of highway construction workers are destined to die on the job! i looked it up, and the fatality rate is 32 out of every 100,000 (.032%) highway construction workers. it is three times more dangerous than regular construction jobs.

Never knew a firefighter to be arrogant. I heard of one death this past year and one the year before for wildland. I have met a lot of firefighters going through rehabilitation for truss failure. I myself am a union ironworker and disappointed that this barely mentions the trade or that highway construction worker gets mentioned before, with a 55% death rate.

I'm a firefighter for the city of Atlanta. I believe that firefighting isn't on the list because firefighter deaths aren't reported the same way that other occupations are reported. I have personally witnessed 4 firefighter being burned alive while trying to save someones life and this is only one fire dept. out of all the fire departments in the U.S. 343 NYC firefighters died in one day on 9/11/01. The truth is that police officers and Firefighters are at a much greater risk of being killed than a fisherman. Firefighters and police officers do not regard themselves as heroes because they do what their job requires and it requires that they lay down their life for the safety of a stranger. They're not on the list because they don't want to be labeled as hero. The End.

We seem to hear a lot about the high danger that the "fire fighters" in this country have, yet I can,t find them on any list showing just where they are as for dangerous jobs. Can anyone help with this?

C-T