Last year alone, 4,547 workers died on-the-job across the nation. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics is proud to announce that this was a decrease from the 5,915 fatalities in the year 2000, the fact is that work can be dangerous. According to CNN, 2010 was the “safest year” in recent history for workers on the job. Yet this “safest” year includes 3.5 dead workers for every 100,000 employed in the U.S. That’s the exact same rate as in 2009, but the economy has caused job loss, which has diminished the amount of work-related deaths.

While some jobs are characteristically more dangerous than others, serious disasters can also contribute to the amount of on-the-job deaths. In 2010, the explosion of the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia killed 29 workers. Another explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed another 11 oil workers. Because of the two horrible disasters that year, the number of mining-related fatalities totaled at 172. While agencies are working to make work as safe as possible, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the fact is that some jobs are just inherently dangerous.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the most dangerous job in America is fishing. While we think of fishing as a relaxing pastime on a placid lake, maritime fisherman couldn’t have a more different connotation. These men and women are normally at danger because of the violent weather out on the ocean. In the hurricane season terrorizing storms can erupt in an instant. The fisherman can end up stranded in the water on their small vessels. As well, people can get hooked on the large net hooks on the boat and thrown overboard on a fishing expedition. In 2010 alone, 29 fishermen died, and there are 116 fatalities for every 100,000 workers in the industry.

Another dangerous job is that of the logger. The timber industry is lucrative because wood is used for construction, furniture, paper, and a host of other uses. However, these toppling trees can smash the workers below, and often do. According to Logger Rescue, workers often can’t see the broken tops of trees. Falling branches can knock out or kill a worker, even when he or she is wearing a helmet. The problem is so prevalent that broken tree tops are referred to as “widow-makers” in the industry. About 92 out of 100,000 loggers in America die in their trade.

Airplane pilots also have one of the most dangerous jobs in America. These brave workers are putting their lives in danger with every lift off. This is because weather conditions, plane malfunctions and other circumstances can cause a plane to plummet at any minute. About 71 per 100,000 workers die flying their planes. One of the most dangerous places to fly planes is in Alaska, where severe weather conditions can take planes down in an instant. Tall mountains can be hidden in the blizzard, and appear just before the fatal impact.

Farmers and ranchers may be an American icon, but they are also undertaking a very dangerous job. 41 out of every 100,000 farmers and ranchers in America die while working at their job. There are a variety of ways that these men and women die in their trade. Ranchers are at constant risk to attack by their animals, specifically rogue bulls or stampeding cattle. The Injury Prevention Research Center says that tractor rollovers are the most common way that a rancher or farmer perishes.

In these cases, the tractor can fall onto its driver, killing him or her instantly. These four jobs are only a few of the many ways that a person can be injured and killed while working. If you were hurt at work, then you should seek workers’ compensation. If your loved one was killed in a workplace accident, you may be able to seek damages from the company. This is especially true if they were not observing safe work protocol at the time. Talk to a local personal injury lawyer today for more information.