There were 4,836 fatal work injuries in the U.S. in 2015, according to from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's the highest total number of work fatalities since 2008.
Transportation accidents were overwhelmingly the leading cause of death, with roadway incidents alone accounting for more than 25 percent of all fatalities. Falls, slips and trips were the second leading cause of death, responsible for 800 fatal work injuries in 2015.
But which jobs were the most dangerous? Reality shows like "Ice Road Truckers" and "Ax Men" have popularized a certain image of high-danger jobs. While there's no denying the risks of logging or arctic trucking, many of America's most dangerous occupations are more mainstream.
Using data from the BLS' , the following is a look at the occupations with the most fatalities per 100K workers in 2015. For context, also included is the total number of fatalities and the total hours worked for each job.
Although the ranking provides a useful overview of some of America's deadliest jobs, it is by no means definitive. The BLS only included jobs with at least 15 reported work fatalities in 2015 and 40 million or more work hours (20,000 full-time equivalent employees), so some dangerous occupations may be excluded if they're too small. It's also worth noting that some jobs pose long-term health risks to workers, such as radiation exposure, which is not captured in the BLS' figures.
Note: The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.
