Not all jobs are created equal. Some deal with office drama, while others tiptoe with death. Some force workers to sit on a swivel chair for eight hours, while others make them stand on ladders 1,500 feet high up the ground. Other jobs in America are hard, while others like these are just plain deadly.
Cell Tower Repairman
Have no cell signal? They are the guys to call. These tower riggers install and repair 1,500‑foot cell towers with just a harness and a prayer. In exchange for good reception, these workers face risks of falling, electrocution, and harsh weather in their jobs with a salary range between $41,000 and $54,500 a year.
Alaskan Fisherman
Famous for being an undergraduate job, being an Alaskan fisherman offers outstanding earning potential with free transportation to Alaska and living accommodations. Not to mention that the hired workers get to experience the beautiful scenery and learn new skills that no other place can offer. The catch? Freezing waters, deadly waves, heavy machinery, capsizing, and hypothermia.
Landmine Remover
Demining may not be one of the primary career paths one may aspire to have during preschool, but it certainly is an important one. Landmine removers aren’t common in the United States—only those who have undergone special training are hired, and for good reason. They are tasked with pulling out explosives in war‑torn places, making every step potentially their last.
Bullfighter
The entertainment industry is ruthless, and Hollywood is not the only place for this. Rodeo clowns or bullfighters put themselves in danger of concussions and other lethal injuries to entertain people. Their job description includes protecting the bull riders from 1,500‑pound bulls and providing comedy. In the US, the job is split into bullfighters and clowns, although in small rodeos, one man covers both.
Smokejumper
Just like landmine removers, only trained professionals are hired for this job. Smokejumpers are like regular firefighters, but they extinguish wildfires in remote areas before they spread, and they parachute into it. Their job forces them to face several life‑threatening dangers daily, like flame entrapment, bad parachute landings, and heat exhaustion.
Sewer Diver
These trained professionals maintain and repair sewers, scour septic tanks, and retrieve objects in contaminated areas. To be able to perform their duties correctly, they have to remain composed in claustrophobic, potentially toxic places. Although they are educated to carry out their duties, it doesn’t ensure their safety from lethal gases, infections from bacteria, and even sewer alligators or rats.
Skyscraper Cleaner
How do these tall buildings get their windows sparkly clean? They hire skyscraper cleaners. The job requires the workers to dangle from cables all day, hundreds of feet off the ground. Since this is an incredibly dangerous job, these workers underwent training and learned safety protocols to decrease the risk of falling due to faulty equipment and inexperience that may lead to death.
Snake Milkers
Antivenoms for snake bites have to be extracted somewhere, and these people are the ones for the job. They are well‑trained and educated herpetologists who study animals and how to safely handle them in order to properly perform their jobs. Aside from antivenoms, snake venoms are also used for research on blood clotting, blood pressure, and heart attacks.
Stunt Performer
They are rightfully the backbone of action movies given the nature of their job. They jump off buildings, get run over by cars, set on fire, and fall off cliffs just so actors won’t have to. Being a stunt performer comes with strict safety and training protocols, but when you do deathly things like this, injuries, and sometimes death, are inevitable.
Roofer
Just like high‑rise window cleaners, roofers play with height. They take care of everything roof‑related—installation, repair, inspection, and insulation. Injuries and falls are the primary risks given that measuring and cutting sharp and heavy materials, such as shingles and metals, alongside climbing on top of buildings and houses are also included in the job description.
Power Lineman
These workers are responsible for providing and maintaining electricity for houses and buildings. The catch is that these power lines are above our heads or deep below us—both of which are lethal sites for a normal person. Consequently, the primary lethal risks and incidents on the job include being exposed to toxic substances and electrocution.
Garbage Collector
To keep the garbage off the streets, these people are hired albeit with fatal risks. Generally, garbage collectors drive around neighborhoods to empty trash bins and unload the waste into a landfill. Given the nature of the job, bacterial infections are one of the primary risks. However, fatal injuries and deaths usually include transportation accidents.
Underwater Welder
Welding is already difficult on the land, but doing it underwater? Deadly. Deep‑sea welders dive with special gear designed to tolerate the intense marine environment. The primary risks include reduced visibility due to the murky waters and nitrogen narcosis along with decompression sickness (DCS) due to the increased air pressure underwater.
Truck Driver
Once the world is asleep, truck drivers make their move. They are responsible for getting the cargo of goods on time. It seems easy if you’ve already been driving for a long time, but what’s difficult with this occupation is, aside from heavy lifting, you also have to fight the fatigue of extremely long drives and homesickness from being away for days to weeks. These compounded risks contribute significantly to transportation accidents.
Graveyard Shift Store Clerk
Store clerks do not dangle from cables, parachute into flames, or get purposely run over by cars, but they are easy targets of armed robberies, violence, and other threats, especially if they work late at night. At least, faulty equipment and inexperience with the job can be foreseen and trained for, but the unpredictability of people after midnight? That’s the most dangerous of all.
