I doubt too many people familiar with the world of commercial fishing—or with my book, Deadliest Sea—will be surprised by this week’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report which concludes that in 2009 commercial fishing was once again the single deadliest job in the United States.
Overall, fatal workplace accidents were down in 2009, from 5,214 in 2008 to an estimated 4,340 in 2009 (the drop is due in part to all those unemployed and underemployed Americans who spent less time on the job). Fatalities among miners, construction workers, and loggers all took a dive. Not so for fishermen.
The nationwide occupational fatal injury rate in 2009 was 3.3. deaths per 100,000 workers. Fishermen, meanwhile, died at a rate of 200 per 100,000 full-time workers. The next highest death rate was for loggers, with 61.8 deaths per 100,000 workers. Roofers had a rate of 34.7, garbagemen 25.2, and truck drivers 18.3.
Click here for the BLS news release and scroll down for a chart of the most dangerous jobs.
Coast Guard rescues, fishing vessel disasters, book coverage, and a few other random items.
Fishing once again proves to be America’s deadliest job
Monday, August 23, 2010
The hillside cemetery in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. As expected, in 2009 commercial fishing was once again America’s deadliest job. Kalee Thompson
