Employment often provides people with income, benefits and also a sense of purpose. Most people work from their high school years until their 60s, possibly even longer than that.
However, many careers also put people at risk of injury or even death. Some people leave for work in the morning and never make it home to their families because of an incident in the workplace. Technically, those in the Lexington area never know when they might end up hurt due to a catastrophic incident at work or a crime in the workplace.
Any profession can be dangerous in the wrong circumstances. However, when looking at workplace fatality statistics, some careers are more dangerous than others. What professions carry the highest degree of risk?
1. Construction
According to workplace fatality statistics from 2023, one in five deaths on the job in Kentucky involved construction professionals. Construction workers have many risk factors on the job that could prove fatal. Working at an elevation or below grade is dangerous. So is handling heavy equipment. Construction professionals have a greater risk of dying on the job than most other professionals.
2. Transportation
Transportation jobs are also very dangerous, as data indicates that 44% of workplace deaths in Kentucky were the result of transportation incidents. Of course, professionals in many different industries may drive for their jobs. As such, only 12 of the reported fatalities in Kentucky involved transportation-sector employees. Truck drivers, delivery professionals and others working in the transportation sector are at above-average risk, but so is anyone who drives while on the clock.
3. Natural resource extraction
Agricultural work, fishing, hunting and forestry round out the deadliest professions in the state. 11 employees, including six working in crop production and three in the timber industry, lost their lives on the job in 2023.
It is also worth noting that government employment is also relatively dangerous generally. Professionals such as municipal bus drivers could be at elevated risk of workplace mortality.
People injured on the job and families who have lost their loved ones could be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. Filing a claim after a job incident can help cover lost wages, medical expenses and in tragic scenarios, possibly even funeral costs.