We can count on Mike Rowe to pick out the d?irty Jobs that may of us do.
But if you were asked to come up with the 10 most dangerous jobs, and the 10 safest jobs, how many do you think you can name? Whether it’s a dirty job, safe job or dangerous job, our jobs are either something we love to do or they are what we need to make a living.
Chances are pretty good that the dangerous jobs are the ones we love to do, the dirty jobs are the ones we feel we have to do, an the safe jobs are those we want to do.
We leave the dirty jobs to Mike Rowe, but CareerCast put out its annual list of the most dangeerous and safest jobs available in the workplace, and many of these in both lists are not terribly surprising. But how many of these can you think of right now?
Let’s start with the most dangerous jobs, in no particular order. Without looking ahead, how many did you get off the top of your head?
- Police officer
- Firefighter
- EMT
- Veterinarian
- Construction worker
- Corrections officer
- Farmer
- Nursing assistant
- Taxi driver
- Truck driver
At least half of these are not surprising, and you probably thought of them quickly. But we bet that veterinarian was not on your list, and maybe nursing assistant was not either. But let’s think about these for a second. Vets are in contact with many different animals, many of whom are sick, and some do not respond well to being held still. And of course you have to keep in mind rabies and those animals that bite and scratch when they are around unfamiliar people.
Nursing assistants are often involved with a lot of disease and will often be at risk with some of the more serious deseases, not to mention handing needles and other sharp instruments that may be mishandled.
While the jobs above listed the highest rates of on-the-job illness or injury, the other side of the coin consists of those jobs in which even a paper cut is considered low likelihood. (Don’t make fun. Those things can hurt like hell.) Is it mere coincidence that many of these jobs involve numbers and/or logic? How many of these could you name without looking?
- Web developer
- Computer systems analyst (IT)
- Accountant
- Actuary
- Dietitian
- Translator/interpreter
- Mathematician
- Statistician
- Paralegal assistant
- Medical records technician (MRT)
As you mgiht have guessed, the biggest difference between the safest and most dangerous jobs are that the more dangerous jobs involve people on the move constantly, while the safest jobs are those where people spend a lot of time behind a desk or sitting for long periods of time. Unless, of course, that chair breaks or the desk collapses on legs. Obviously that seems to be a long-shot proposition.
The CareerCast report also lists a median salary for each occupation listed and the expected growth of the job market in coming years. Might be something to think about if you are considering a career change.