25 Most Dangerous Jobs In

The World
25. Street Sweepers
If you’ve ever been to Rwanda, you’ll know why
street sweepers are on the most dangerous jobs
list. Many women work all hours of the night in
busy traffic and less than friendly
neighbourhoods.

24. Mountain Guides

Between ice, long falls, jagged rocks,
wind, low air pressure, and a whole slew
of other dangerous sounding conditions,
climbing mountains is not known for its
safety. In one 2009 report, 11 guides
had died on the job.

23. Carpenters
It’s a historically old job, and it’s also
more dangerous than you may think.
A broken hip falling from the second
floor, a crushed finger, or a
dislocated collarbone after slipping
from a ladder are a few of the
numerous ways you can get injured
on this job.
22. Stuntmen
Stuntmen make the Hollywood action stars
look good, and they put their lives on the line
to do so. Between driving cars over cliffs and
jumping out of high rises, these daring
performers stare death in the face every day.

21. Courier Carriers

With Amazon, Uber Eats, and
other services, convenient delivery has
become a more desirable service.
Whether it’s pizza or newspaper delivery,
this is a dangerous job in most countries.
These workers are often the victims of
armed robbery and other violent crimes.
So, tip them well and be nice. 

20. Animal Tamers

Alligator wrestlers, lion tamers,
and basically anybody who deals
with dangerous animals on a daily
basis knows they’re walking pretty
close to death’s jaws, especially
when they stick their heads in the
animals’ mouths.

19. E-Waste Recyclers

Imagine mountains of broken computer parts that need to be
sorted, some with chemicals oozing out and mixing into the
rainwater. Recyclers have to deal with that every day, and in
some parts of the world like Guiyu, China, working with e-waste
is their entire life.

18. Utility Lineman and Power Workers

Working with electricity is bad enough, but
working with electricity high above the
ground is even worse. One wrong
decision, and they’ll meet a grisly death by
electric shock and crash landing. The
linemen required to hang out of a
helicopter to complete the job get bonus
danger points. 

17. Farmers and Ranchers

Spending long hours dealing with
large animals, tractors, and other
intensive conditions, farmers don’t just
sit on their porches all day. Their work
can actually be quite dangerous.

16. Firefighters
We probably didn’t have to tell you
firefighters have dangerous jobs. From
rushing into burning buildings to digging
ditches in the middle of the Australian Outback, firefighters hop
into the fray and save lives by putting their own in harms ways.
If that weren’t crazy enough, of the 1 million firefighters in the
United States, 70% of them are unpaid volunteers.

15. Roofers
Most would assume correctly that falling from
high elevations and getting bad sunburns are
normal hazards of this job. However, you might
not know they also are in danger of
electrocution, scorching hot tiles, and chemical
hazards from volatile tars. Add heat stroke to
the mix, and you’ve got one nasty job. To make it even worse,
the median wage is only $35,920.

14. Police Officers

Police officers have to answer potentially
deadly calls and address highly stressful
situations on a daily basis. Unfortunately,
they are not the most popular public servants
in many parts of the world. Yes, corruption is
real, but many police officers really do put
their lives on the line for others.

13. Astronauts
Since the beginning of the Russian and
American space programs, about 430
astronauts have gone to space. With 34
deaths, that is a 7.5% mortality rate, a rate
significantly higher than many other professions on this list.
Also, the Apollo Space Program astronauts suffered
cardiovascular health problems due to overexposure to
radiation. 

12. Bodyguards and Armoured Car Drivers

When your literal job description is to take a
bullet for someone else, you definitely have
a dangerous job. Of course, depending on
what part of the world we are talking about
and who or what is actually being guarded,
the levels of risk can vary. Sadly, in some
cases, guards have been killed while only three weeks on the
job. 

11. Slaughterhouse Workers

Often times heavily exploited, the rate of
injury is over three times that of other
manufacturing and processing jobs. These
injuries are often the result of the demand for
speed at the assembly line, where workers
are many times required to slaughter up to
50 cattle per hour.

10. Mechanics
Between fumes, chemicals, and
dangerous tools, mechanics working on
everything from mini-coopers to fighter
jets are exposed to their fair share of
hazardous situations.
 9. Metalcrafters
Besides dealing with the obvious things
like heat and metal, these workers typically
experience negative health effects in the
long-term due to exposure and inhalation
of various chemicals.

8. Search and Rescue

Whether it’s the Coast Guard facing
high seas or a mountain rescue
team facing sub-zero temperatures at
night, it’s not hard to see why this job
would make the list. While they are
highly trained, these brave men and
women risk it all to save lives. 

7. Sanitation Workers
Dealing with all sorts of unspeakable waste
has its own challenges. In many places, it’s
a well-paid position for a reason. The
potential exposure to all sorts of hazardous
materials raises the danger level a few
notches.
 6. Land Mine Remover
Although in some parts of the world
this is the military’s job, there are many
formerly war-torn regions completely
covered in land mines. With
governments that could care less,
there is a job opening in the private
market, and it’s not a fun one.

5. Personal Transport Drivers

Although busses and trains have
their own dangers, driving
rickshaws, tuk tuks, and taxis is in
a whole different ball park. Besides
the obvious dangers of the road,
the persistent danger of robbery or
violence is ever-present. Even in
the United States, taxi drivers have
one of the higher on-the-job mortality rates.

4. Miners
Few jobs destroy your health like
mining. Besides the long-term danger
of black lungs, the constant risk of
cave-ins, gas explosions, and health
problems from the chemicals and
radon inhaled make it a deadly job. 
 3. Bush Pilots
Everybody knows that pilots have a
dangerous job. Planes crash all the
time, right? Wrong. At least, not the
planes you’re probably thinking about.
Large airlines are a very safe mode of
transportation. If you were talking about bush pilots though,
that’s another story. Facing extremely hostile weather and
terrain, their job is anything but safe.

2. Deep Sea Fisherman

Here’s a classic. It actually used to be
the most dangerous job on most lists,
especially Alaskan crab fisherman.
Between high seas, long nights,
freezing temperatures, and lots of
moving parts, it certainly earns
the title.
1. Lumberjack
Along with deep sea fishing, the logging industry is a long time
source of workplace danger. Big trees, sharp saws, and hard
hours are not a good mix for logging workers.