Most Dangerous Professions

[Wilco Worshipper]

Forget stuntmen. Some of the country's least healthy jobs are in cubicles, hospitals, and restaurants. Are you at risk?

 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), it's not just farm laborers or police officers who have high rates of workplace injuries and illnesses. In fact, some common -- and seemingly benign -- professions have high rates of injury and illnesses that were severe enough to cause workers to miss at least one day of work in 2006.

 

Danger in Some Workplaces

 

The following eight professions are among the highest in terms of injuries and illnesses, listed in descending order based on the number of incidents reported to BLS (in parentheses).

 

Construction Worker (125,120)

"Falls and problems from repeated hammering are the biggest problems," says Garrett Brown, an industrial hygienist at the California Occupational and Health Administration.

 

Office/Administrative Staff (83,320)

The biggest risk is repetitive strain injuries from typing, as well as illnesses from inhaling toxic printing inks and other substances.

 

Sales Staff (76,210)

These jobs may seem innocent, but Brown says salespeople fall from ladders while gathering merchandise, strain themselves carrying it to customers, get repetitive strain from typing reports, and even suffer injuries from malfunctioning displays.

 

Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants (49,480)

These workers can be exposed to everything from toxic chemicals in hospitals and nursing homes to strains from lifting heavy patients.

 

Janitors and Housekeepers (46,540)

The heavy carts many housekeepers push can injure their backs and potent cleaning supplies can cause illnesses, says Brown.

 

Registered Nurses (20,500)

Lifting heavy patients, getting hit by gurneys, or attacked by family members can cause injuries.

 

Waiters (9,520)

"Those heavy trays don't carry themselves," says Dr. Davis Liu, author of "Stay Healthy, Live Longer, Spend Wisely: Making Intelligent Choices in America's Healthcare System." He continues, "Everything is supersized, and waiters are carrying 5- to 10-pound trays repeatedly, sometimes up on a shoulder with one hand."

 

Computer Specialists (2,720)

"The ergonomic problem here is not only typing, but also workplace design," says Brown. "Sometimes they squeeze tall people into small spaces."

 

 

 

 

 

And I wonder why my sciatic nerve is giving me a problem! And, yes, I do it one-handed. Two hands makes it too awkward

[bjorn_skurj]

People (including me) should eat less food, dammit.

[Wilco Worshipper]

People (including me) should eat less food, dammit.

 

The way I figure it...the more they order, the bigger the bill and hopefully, the bigger the tip

[VenusStopsTrain2]

So after reading this I could basically be put in hospital at any time.

 

I'm in Sales at Best Buy..and yup just last week I was helping in the computer dept and climbing up this weird staircase/ladder that moves around the dept and trying to move a computer from the top of a wallish type shelving unit..we store the computers all along the top, but the wall is only about 4 1/2 feet wide, so I had to step off the stair/ladder thing onto the top of the wall to pick up the computer and then move it thru the bars on the side of the stair/ladder rig and then attempt to go backwards while somehow carrying it down and not fall. Yup dangerous job #1.

 

I'm also an administrative assistant for a guy who owns his own business...

 

My other job is at a sign shop, where I work with power tools, xacto knives, and signs made of metal and wood oh yes and we use chemicals that smell and are probably not safe to be around for long periods of time.

 

As you can see I'm basically an accident waiting to happen.

 

edit: If I can find the digital camera I will take a picture of the wall and stair thing to show you.

[Wilco Worshipper]

As you can see I'm basically an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Beltmann]

While in college one of my summer jobs was as a school district janitor. We used to use all kinds of potent chemicals. I remember one floor stripper was called Dragon Attack, and we were warned to never touch the undiluted stuff. Eventually the state banned that stuff (but the school hoarded a big supply so we used it for another year or two). Also, I remember using a different floor stripper on a staircase, which required sitting and scrubbing by hand. I guess I wasn't paying attention and realized I was sitting in "stripper juice"--believe, me the jokes never got old--only after my shorts were soaked. Well, no prizes for guessing that stripper juice will strip human skin, too. The next day, I needed to request a workman's comp form, which meant explaining to my supervisor how I acquired a massive hole on my right ass cheek. That might have been an uncomfortable conversation, but that summer job, like most summer jobs, was a job that featured a great deal of public nudity for comic effect, so talking about ass abrasion was no big deal.

[VenusStopsTrain2]

Thanks Wilco Worshipper

 

Beltmann..you make me wanna say OWWWWWWWWWWWW and give you a hug...but you are right about the comic value and jokes you could totally get out of those!

[PigSooie]

The people I work on are already dead! Beat that.

[VenusStopsTrain2]

The people I work on are already dead! Beat that.

You kill people and then work on them? What do you do?

[Duck-Billed Catechist]

Don't those options cover about 70% of the work force? Sales, office staff, etc.?

[watch me fall]

Yeah those repetitive strain injuries I get from typing are a bitch. Not to mention the wicked paper cuts.

[Tweedling]

The people I work on are already dead! Beat that.

It's the product that gets implanted in them!

[mountain bed]

While in college one of my summer jobs was as a school district janitor. We used to use all kinds of potent chemicals. I remember one floor stripper was called Dragon Attack, and we were warned to never touch the undiluted stuff. Eventually the state banned that stuff (but the school hoarded a big supply so we used it for another year or two). Also, I remember using a different floor stripper on a staircase, which required sitting and scrubbing by hand. I guess I wasn't paying attention and realized I was sitting in "stripper juice"--believe, me the jokes never got old--only after my shorts were soaked. Well, no prizes for guessing that stripper juice will strip human skin, too. The next day, I needed to request a workman's comp form, which meant explaining to my supervisor how I acquired a massive hole on my right ass cheek. That might have been an uncomfortable conversation, but that summer job, like most summer jobs, was a job that featured a great deal of public nudity for comic effect, so talking about ass abrasion was no big deal.

I too, once accidentally sat in "stripper juice". Felt like a bad sunburn on my ass cheek for about a week.

[Pocahontas]

Funny that this thread was started, I just came back from Occupational Health. Yesterday I bent over and felt a pop in my lower back, then later was having muscle spasms through out my back and legs, the pain got worse as the night progressed, so I found my way to the ER, there they gave me two shots, one was narcotic called Nubain, and the other was toradol, not fun stuff, made my body relaxed but my brain was reeling. Well the Nurse Practioner at the Health Wellness has put me off work until my next appt. which is next monday, tomorrow I go to Physical Therapy.

[quarter23cd]

At least you people climbing ladders are getting some exercise.

[mountain bed]

Funny that this thread was started, I just came back from Occupational Health. Yesterday I bent over and felt a pop in my lower back, then later was having muscle spasms through out my back and legs, the pain got worse as the night progressed, so I found my way to the ER, there they gave me two shots, one was narcotic called Nubain, and the other was toradol, not fun stuff, made my body relaxed but my brain was reeling. Well the Nurse Practioner at the Health Wellness has put me off work until my next appt. which is next monday, tomorrow I go to Physical Therapy.

Thanks for the update. You were talking out of your mind last night.

[gogo]

I commented on this yesterday in another thread, but the basis they're using for "most dangerous" here is "injuries which kept the employee away from work for at least one day". If you cut this off with a higher standard, even "injuries which kept the employee away from work for at least two days", you'd probably have a completely different list of jobs. Or you could look at injuries which permanently disabled the employee, or which led to a fatality. So, "most dangerous jobs" is kind of an iffy title for that list.

[Wilco Worshipper]

I hope you all know I was laughing at this when I posted it. I mean come on, I don't SERIOUSLY think I work in a dangerous job...even with the sciatic issue. I was talking about this with a friend of mine last night who's a firefighter, he just laughed and said we're not on there because we're more careful

 

 

But inside I was kinda sad, because, you know, we lose too many of them. Anyhoo, that's a sad subject for another day.

[bigshoulders]

The people I work on are already dead! Beat that.

Are you a cadaver cosmetician?

[VenusStopsTrain2]

It's cool Wilco Worshipper..you totally cracked me up..and it was way too fun to write all my jobs out...I don't really think they are seriously that bad..cept for trying to move a computer backwards down a stair/ladder thing...that's not easy...lol

[Beltmann]

Beltmann..you make me wanna say OWWWWWWWWWWWW and give you a hug...but you are right about the comic value and jokes you could totally get out of those!

It was a great summer job... we spent more time laughing our heads off than actually working. I kinda miss it.

[gogo]

Several of my friends and relations spent summers during high school and college working on the paint crew at the local elementary schools. That's sort of how they describe that job, too, more hi-jinks than actual work getting done. One of my cousins in particular would go out of his way to get out of actually working on the job, going so far as to come up with interesting (and highly environmentally-incorrect) ways to dispose of the paint, so that he could show the supervisor the empty buckets and pretend like he'd done that much painting during his shift. My sister says that the only thing he never tried for ditching the paint was smearing it on the walls.

[tellya]

Funny that this thread was started, I just came back from Occupational Health. Yesterday I bent over and felt a pop in my lower back, then later was having muscle spasms through out my back and legs, the pain got worse as the night progressed, so I found my way to the ER, there they gave me two shots, one was narcotic called Nubain, and the other was toradol, not fun stuff, made my body relaxed but my brain was reeling. Well the Nurse Practioner at the Health Wellness has put me off work until my next appt. which is next monday, tomorrow I go to Physical Therapy.

oh i bet I know what they are going to tell you.

 

PigSooie is a mortician. Yes he is weird too.

[Wilco Worshipper]

It's cool Wilco Worshipper..you totally cracked me up

 

Thanks!!!

 

I don't really think they are seriously that bad..cept for trying to move a computer backwards down a stair/ladder thing...that's not easy...lol

 

I wouldn't want to try that!!!

[VenusStopsTrain2]

Took me ages but here is a photo of the ladder of death...that I still have to ask guys to carry computers down for me since I think I'll fall over with them and die.