April 19, 2024

Dangerous Florida Jobs

Florida's Most Deadly Jobs

Crashes and gunshots determine which jobs are the most perilous in Florida.

Amy Keller | 2/1/2009


The bad news about workplace fatalities in Florida is that the 362 deaths on the job in 2007 was about the same number as in 2006 — even as employment levels decreased and as work-related deaths nationwide dropped by about 6%.

The good news is that the chance of dying on the job in Florida is still small. In 2007, Florida’s workplace death rate was 4.6 per 100,000 workers. The national rate is 3.7 per 100,000 workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The majority of those killed in on-the-job accidents were men: 329 vs. 33 women. Only 42 of those killed were self-employed. The rest were hourly or salaried employees. Overall, the typical person who died on the job in Florida in 2007 was a 50-year-old white male truck driver earning around $30,000 a year who died in a traffic accident.

» Homicides at Work
Work-related homicides in Florida:

Year Homicides Homicides
via Shooting
2003 43 32
2004 46 35
2005 37 35
2006 41 36
2007 60 51
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics


» States with the Most Workplace Fatalities

State Deaths
1. Texas 527
2. California 407
3. Florida 362
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics


» Fatal Occupational Injuries in Florida
(Public vs. Private Industry)
35 public employees died on the job in 2007, including 25 who worked in local government and six in state government. Seventeen of the 35 worked in transportation
areas.

Year All Sectors Private Industry Govt.
2003 347 324 23
2004 422 390 32
2005 406 380 26
2006 360 330 30
2007 362 327 35
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Following is a list of the jobs with the most fatalities:

Deaths on the Job

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
Deaths: 43
Mean Wage: $29,266

Construction laborers
Deaths: 29
Mean Wage: $24,250

Grounds maintenance workers
Deaths: 21
Mean Wage: $28,220

Police officers, deputies
Deaths: 16
Mean Wage: $49,420
Dangers: Seven officers were gunned down in 2007. Two others were victims of vehicular assault; three were struck by vehicles; two died in automobile accidents; one died during a vehicle pursuit; and another in an ATV accident.

First-line supervisors/ managers, sales workers
Deaths: 13
Mean Wage: $43,470 (retail), $73,760 (non-retail)

Laborers and material movers
Deaths: 11
Mean Wage: $22,470

Electricians
Deaths: 11
Mean Wage: $37,730

Building cleaning workers (includes janitors, maids, window washers)
Deaths: 11
Mean Wage: $27,550

Roofers
Deaths: 9
Mean Wage: $31,340
Dangers: In 2005, the rate of injuries for roofing contractors in the United States was almost twice that of workers overall.

10» Agricultural workers (farming, fishing and forestry occupations)
Deaths: 9
Mean Wage: $20,820

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