According to the latest national census of fatal occupational injuries from the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, tower workers have the most dangerous job in America. However, they did not have the greatest number of total deaths. That spot belongs to driver/sales workers and truck drivers.
The report showed 115.2 deaths per 100,000 tower workers, versus only 27.6 deaths per 100,000 drivers. Tied for second place in the most dangerous occupation were logging workers and aircraft pilots, both with had 92.4 deaths per 100,000 workers. The Web site www.wirelessestimator.com noted that tower workers represent one of the smaller specialized construction groups with about 8,700 employees. Ten fatalities were reported in 2004, as compared to the deaths of 905 driver/sales workers and drivers.
For additional information, including statistics on other industries and a map of fatalities caused by falling from a tower in 2005 and so far in 2006, see Cell tower climbers surface as having the most dangerous job in America. The Web site has several other stories that may be of interest to readers, including an article noting that while the TIA/EIA-222G tower standard took effect Jan. 1; many building departments are a long way from adopting it.
