If you read this, you probably have a relatively secure job. However, not everyone chooses a safe job for their career.

Most of us have the privilege of saying that our job is quite safe, medically speaking. The only risk to which we are all exposed is that of getting fired.

You like your job and you have been practicing it for many years. But have you ever thought that it’s exactly your (dream) job that could prevent you from becoming a parent, for example? Or have a negative impact on your lungs or your bones?

Despite the strict legislation on work area equipment, as well as on employee protection, people continue to get sick at work. Generally speaking, it seems that people working in the banking environment would be most prone to mental illness because of the enormous stress. At the same time, people who have a static work environment – who are required to sit more than 8 hours a day – are at risk of having diabetes, cancer or even death.

In other words, tell us what profession you have and we’ll tell you what diseases and risks you are exposed to!

15. Truck Drivers

Answer the following questions, please: Can you work fourteen hours a day? Do you eat high-calorie snacks every day? Do you seek a place to sleep at the end of such a day? I’m sure the answer is definitely NO!

Then, you can’t imagine what being a truck driver means. Jobs involving truck driving are dangerous and some of the deadliest in America. Studies have shown that the risk of such a job increases proportionally to the time spent behind the big wheel. Truck drivers are continually working for many hours at a time and have many program changes. Please add the fact that they have to control massive vehicles that weigh up to 40 tons. Are you still surprised to see such a job on this list?

14. Stunt Performers

I’m sure we all have watched and appreciated movies with athletic and scrupulous stunt performers and found their job both adventurous and daring. If you’re a Jackie Chan or Jean-Paul Belmondo fan you know exactly what I mean.

Each day the work of a stuntman is different from the previous day. One day he has to jump from one building to another, another day he is in an infernal car race or he has to jump from a helicopter. The real danger here is represented by the various possible accidents that can occur, either falling from heights, or car accidents, airplane or aircraft crashes, burns, cuts, injuries and wounds caused by animals, and almost anything else that you could ever think of.

Do you still think it’s funny and adrenaline-pumping?

13. Sanitation Workers

We are all happy when we see our town clean. But we rarely think about the people who are in charge of it and about the risks they are exposed to every single day of their work life because they never know what hazardous materials they may come across while performing their duty.

Although they do not have as dramatic jobs as those working in a police department or being firefighters, sanitation workers have to handle heavy machinery that leaves little room for errors. Conveyor belts often cause the breaking of garbage bags, thus workers are exposed to the risk of being injured by metallic objects or exposed to poisonous substances.

12. Firefighters

As kids, we used to play with cars and trucks – fire trucks especially. And we all believe that being a firefighter is cool, really cool. You do something good for the community you live in. It’s true, for the community, but sometimes not for yourself, the holder of such a job.

Firefighters risk their lives every time they respond to an emergency call, by fighting the flames, the thick smoke and the rubble inside the buildings that fall, to stop the fire and to save people’s lives. Firefighters must be in excellent physical condition to carry out their tasks while carrying heavy tools in what is essentially a gigantic furnace.

11. Mine Worker

Fancy working in a place where the sunlight is a rarity? You almost never see it, as you start work early in the morning, you enter the womb of the earth, and you come back late in the afternoon, sometimes long after sunset. As rich as your imagination might be, I believe it’s hard to imagine that such a thing is possible. Well, it is!

Mining is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Many serious accidents have occurred over time, with numerous losses of life. The miners are constantly in danger as the walls of the mine can collapse at any time, crushing them and making them captive, with the risk of choking. Plus, they have to make sure that the gas level is acceptable, as methane can accumulate quickly, causing an explosion and affecting their lungs.

Despite all these risks, which most miners are aware of, they still venture to be brave!

10. Bush Pilots

It sounds funny, doesn’t it? Add the fact that many people don’t really know what it implies, and they mistake these for regular airplane pilots. Well, there’s a huge difference between these two jobs that are part of the same field: flying! But the saying “Do not fly too close to the sun” has another meaning when you perform this job!

It has been proven that traveling by plane is safer than driving. However, bush pilots don’t enjoy the same conditions. They use small planes to transport people or resources over rough or dangerous terrain, and often in hostile weather conditions. Tasks include the transport of people to skiing spots in a distant mountainous areas or the transport of food, but in any case, in order to be successful, these pilots must be very skilled – their skills must rank from the ability to repair the aircraft to having survival skills in case of a forced landing in the middle of the desert.

9. Deep-Sea Fishermen

Fishing is a hobby for most of us, right? Therefore, it is supposed to be fun, entertaining and relaxing. Well, it may be for us, but for deep-sea fishermen who earn their living due to this job, it isn’t. On the contrary!

Out of 100,000 fishermen in Alaska, in 2007 there were 128 deaths, 26 times higher than the national average. Deep-sea fishermen must handle nets and cages weighing hundreds of pounds. Please add the fact that they must do so in wild conditions, from torrential rain to giant waves crashing into the ship, on frozen decks where a slip can mean serious injury.

One thing is for sure: this job is not for the weak-hearted!

8. Landmine Removers

Explanations are useless here!

Although in many parts of the world this job is military-related, many less-developed regions of war zones are crawling with landmines that have remained unexploded. Since governments do not care very much about all this, it has become a private market job, and as you can imagine, it’s not a dream job.

Mines are difficult to detect and are also harmful because you never really know where they are located. This is why people working in this field would be delighted if they could perform it remotely, or – why not – robotically.

It can’t be described as an enjoyable, pleasant or safe job!

7. Astronauts

Curiosity is the trigger that leads to great achievements! Therefore, people started doing this like climbing Mount Everest or crossing Antarctica. But, as it is in our nature to explore everything that surrounds us, why not travel into space? Nowadays, you can search on the Internet and see films with cosmonauts in spaceships, “doing almost nothing up there.” It looks easy, doesn’t it? But, remember that appearances can be misleading!

It is a profession that few people consider dangerous, although it has one of the highest mortality rates. Out of 448 astronauts who were in space, 34 have not returned to Earth, which makes the mortality rate reach 7.5%.

Space is really the last frontier, and we have a long way to go before we can really say we have conquered it.

6. Office Worker

Surprised? I’m sure most of us are, as we work in offices and think that we are safe and secure, totally sheltered from danger!

Despite the ergometric chair and the beautiful keyboard, office work is not as safe as you think. A sedentary job is associated with a 82% risk of dying because of a cardiovascular disease compared to people who spend only 4 hours a week in the office, according to a study by South Carolina University. Inactivity means fewer calories burned, but also changes in which muscles assimilate glucose and fat.

Fortunately, it has been scientifically proven that regular exercise cancels the effects on spending too many hours in a chair, while working in the office.

5. Farmers

What could be bad about working the fields in the middle of nature, breathing the fresh air early in the morning or getting tanned without even trying?

Well, there are some negative points nobody thinks of, especially nowadays, when a lot of kids believe that milk comes from the milk machine in the supermarket.

Farmers are exposed to all kinds of chemicals such as pesticides, artificial fertilizers, fungicides, animal viruses, dust, and the list can go on. All these chemicals have a negative impact on their health, as they can discover one day that they suffer from certain diseases such as leukemia, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, skin, stomach, cervical and prostate cancer.

Therefore, farming is not the field of dreams!

4. Histology Technicians

It’s hard to imagine that a job performed mostly in a laboratory can be dangerous. As dangerous as to be ranked in the top 15 most dangerous jobs for your health. Why?

Here’s why. Simply because they prepare the histological slides – the small glass slides – of tissue sections for the examination and diagnosis of pathologies under the microscope. Therefore, they are directly exposed to diseases and infections, contaminated blood, viruses and contaminants. Although it does not seem like it, their working conditions are particularly dangerous!

In spite of all these disadvantages, histology technicians are very proud of themselves and of what they do, as it’s due to their job that the world is a better place and someone else’s life is better!

3. Dental Hygienists

It’s even harder to believe that a job in the medical field is actually … unhealthy! But, unfortunately, it’s also true!

It is considered as a very repetitive job, as all they do is to examine, diagnose and treat diseases, injuries and malformations of the teeth and gums. To do this, they peer all day long into their patient’s mouths. Sometimes they have patients with decaying teeth or with unpleasant breath. Sometimes, they also find decaying food stuck … between their teeth, of course. Let’s also add the fact that some patients vomit during the cleaning procedure.

Few people are aware of the fact that their work conditions can negatively impact the care delivered to patients!

2. Anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, and anesthesiologist assistants

Another job from the medical field that is unhealthy for the people who perform it!

Anesthesia represents the starting point for any surgery. It is the process by which the patient’s body is driven to sleep by administrating anesthetics or sedatives during medical procedures. They also take care of the patients during and immediately after a surgical procedure and help patients recover from anesthesia. The anesthesiologist is therefore exposed to the diseases and infections of the patient, to contaminants and rays. Remember that they are more exposed to hepatitis C and AIDS than the general population.

1. Podiatrist

Our feet and nails should neither smell bad nor have a strange color. If they do, we must run to the podiatrist.

The podiatrist diagnoses and treats the diseases or the deformations of the feet, which support all the weight of the body, advocating exercises or wearing soles for example. The podiatrist is in permanent contact with the feet, which contain bacteria – a lot – and which sometimes smell horribly, being therefore exposed to diseases and infections, to x-rays!

Don’t forget that this job is mainly performed while being seated!

Now, what do you think of your job? Is it still the worst on earth?

Sources: businessinsider.com