An extensive study from ValuePenguin takes a hard look at workers in occupations with the most workplace fatalities. The personal finance website Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau, the personal finance website's research shows a number of alarming findings. One is that industries with the highest injury rates are among the least likely to offer employer-sponsored insurance to their workers. Those industries include construction, food preparation, and farming, fishing and forestry. The study also revealed that the highest-fatality jobs did not pay as well as lower-risk occupations, with incomes below the American weekly median. Moreover, five of the top ten states with the highest percentage of employees in dangerous jobs can be found in the western part of the country. One reason for that, the study states, is that these states' economies are driven by outdoor industries, including farming, coal, and wine. States on the East Coast made up eight of the bottom ten states with the lowest percentage of workers in the most dangerous jobs. These states, the study asserts, have more dense populations and metropolitan areas than the states that rank higher on the list, and employees are more likely to work in fields like technology and finance. Of the remaining two, Nevada and Alaska rely heavily on tourism, and although Alaska is one of the leading producers of fishing and crude oil, the study found it still ranks among the lowest for percentage of employees in those typically dangerous industries. See our slideshow above for the top ten states where the most treacherous occupations have the highest worker percentages.

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Richard Binder

Richard Binder, based in New York, is part of the social media team at ALM. He is also a 2014 recipient of the ASPBE Award for Excellence in the Humorous/Fun Department.