The Most Dangerous Job (in America)

Think that your job is bad? Well, unless yours is listed below, be thankful that at least working doesn’t come with the additional risk of on-the-job fatality. Forbes looks at the 10 most dangerous jobs in the United States:

Topping the most-dangerous list: fishers and their staff. Thirty-eight fishermen–112 out of 100,000–died on the job last year, mainly off the frigid coasts of Alaska and Maine. There’s a reason that Discovery show is called "Deadliest Catch."

Larry Simns–co-founder of Commercial Fishermen of America, a San Francisco-based nonprofit representing U.S. commercial fishermen–knows the pain. Last year Simms’ friend Captain Philip Ruhle Jr. went down with his 80-foot squid ship in a storm roughly 40 miles off the coast of New Jersey.

"They all know the risks," says Simms. "There’s a chance of getting killed, but you don’t put a lot of emphasis on that. You’re just extra cautious because you know you can’t just get off the boat and walk home if something goes wrong."

View More