Some jobs are more hazardous to your health than others. But here are the top 10 worst offenders, ranked on a scale of 0 to 100, according to data analyzed from the Occupational Information Network. It’s best to know what you’re up against if you’re considering (or working in) one of these fields. Here are the top 10 worst jobs for your health.
1. Surgical and Medical Assistants, Technicians, and Techs
With high risk of exposure to contaminants, disease, infection, and hazardous conditions, assistants in the medical field like these workers are up against an overall unhealthiness score of 57.3.
2. Boiler Operators and Stationary Engineers
Operating or maintaining equipment can be quite unhealthy. This job scores 57.7 and the top three worker risks include contaminant exposure, hazardous conditions, and exposure to minor burns, cuts, and other injuries.
3. Wastewater and Water Treatment Plant and System Ops
Operating or controlling an entire water system through machines or control boards can be extremely hazardous. With a score of 58.2, the top three health risks include contaminant exposure, hazardous conditions, and exposure to minor burns, cuts, and other injuries.
4. Histotechnologists (and histologic technicians)
These workers prepare histologic slides from tissue sections for microscopic analysis. Sound simple? The unhealthiness score here is 59, with workers risking exposure to hazardous contaminants and conditions, plus exposure to disease and infection.
5. Immigration and Customs
You wouldn’t think this would be so bad, but immigration and customs officers inspect and investigate everything and everyone that passes through a border. With the constant exposure to contaminants, disease, infection, as well as radiation, this job gets a 59.3 on the unhealthiness scale.
6. Podiatry
All those feet expose podiatrists to disease, infection, radiation, and contaminants on a daily basis. This job comes in at a score of 60.2.
7. Veterinarians (and Veterinary Techs and Assistants)
Treating animals can be a dangerously unhealthy enterprise when you consider the top three risks are exposure to disease, infection, minor cuts, burns, and injuries, plus exposure to contaminants? 60.3
8. Anesthesiologists and Assistants, and Nurse Anesthesiologists
Anesthesiologists, like surgeons, are constantly at risk of exposure to disease, infection, contaminants, and radiation. This job scores a 62.3.
9. Flight Attendants
No, it’s not the risk of crashing. The top three health risks to flight attendants are the same old exposure to contaminants, disease, infections, and the minor cuts, burns, and injuries of other professions. The relatively high rate of these risks gives this job an overall unhealthiness score of 62.3.
10. Dentists, Dental Surgeons, and Assistants
By far the biggest health risk in the working world, with a whopping overall unhealthiness score of 65.4. Dental workers are exposed to contaminants, disease, infections, and also spend an enormous amount of time sitting, which increases health risks considerably.
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