Let's face it, when you are at the office, the biggest risk you face is
to run out of coffee. Meet ten dangerous jobs that will make you realize
how lucky you are.
You need nerves of steel to be a window cleaner in Dubai. When this
worker spotted a mark on an apartment window, he just had to pop out to
give the glass a quick wipe with a squeegee. Nothing odd about that –
except that the apartment was located 400ft up on the 34th floor of a
tower block in Jumeirah Beach, Dubai. He stepped out on to the narrow
ledge and, holding the frame, stretched across to wipe away the annoying
smudge. As he takes his life into his hands, at least he has the sense
to hold on to the window frame, even if it is by his fingertips, as he
goes about his task. He was snapped making sure the windows were
sparkling by a resident in a neighbouring apartment block. He didn't
have a safety harnesses or cradles and helmets. He had nothing. When it
comes to safety among its massive immigrant workforce, the Dubai
authorities have a dubious record. Conditions in which immigrants are
expected to work have been a subject of discussion in the United Arab
Emirates for many years. Yet the majority of these employees have no
voice, especially when it comes to their own safety. They are also aware
that, if they are deported, there are thousands of others willing to
take their place. Talk about dangerous jobs!
(Link)
Helicopter Linemen
The first time you see these guys over the power lines you may think it's fake. But linemen who
work from
helicopters are for real and they are considered a highly specialized
area of line work; few linemen have the special training to perform it.
Incredible as it seems, live high voltage transmission lines can be
worked barehanded. The lineman must be isolated from the ground by using
an insulated bucket truck or other method. The lineman wears special
conductive clothing which is connected to the live power line, at which
point the line and the lineman are at the same potential, allowing the
lineman to handle the wire safely.
Live wire work is extremely
common on low voltage distribution systems within the UK as all linesmen
are trained to work 'live'. Live wire work on high voltage distribution
systems within the UK is carried out by specialist teams. These teams
are sometimes referred to as 'Hot Glove' teams.
(Link)
Crocodile Wrestlers
The daily grind at the office may not seem so bad after viewing these startling images.
For,
no matter how grumpy your boss may be this morning, at least you aren't
actually risking life and limb by sticking your head in his jaws.
But
that is exactly what the crocodile wrestlers at a Thai zoo do on a
daily basis. The men at the Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo perform
what may well be the world's most dangerous job. The wranglers have been
performing the stunts at the zoo on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand,
since it was set up in 1985. During the hour-long shows they stick
their head between the jaws of some of the zoo's biggest crocs, in the
style of Krai Thong, a legendary Thai crocodile hunter.
(Link)
Lion Trainers
Newlyweds from Montana, celebrating in Las Vegas were checking out the
lion enclosure at the MGM Grand Hotel when they videotaped these images.
The man was videotaping the male and female lions and their two
trainers when all of a sudden the male took exception at something that
was going on and made a lunge. A struggle ensued and a female also
decided to join the fray but the trainer managed to break free with the
help of his colleague and made a hasty escape from the enclosure with
the male still appearing extremely agitated. There is no evidence of any
blood being spilled, but the trainer is evidently in great pain during
the attack. Soundproof glass muffled any noise, however. Jack Hanna
appeared on GMA and he said the attack would be considered mild. The
trainer was lucky it was the male getting over-excited as females launch
much more devastating attacks.
(Link)
Miners
Gilberto Angulos does not need to say a word to tell the tale of working
30 years in Chile's mines. His broken body does all the talking for
him. A jagged scar runs down his forehead. A metal plate keeps his
fractured left forearm together. A bone never properly set juts from his
left shoulder. The injuries are the remnants of a mine explosion that
nearly killed him. In 2003, Angulos was driving excavation equipment in a
large copper mine when he felt a rush of air. Instead of being killed,
Angulos was taken 1,300 miles (2,092 km) south to Santiago, where he
spent a year in the hospital. The damage to the miner was permanent. Now
the San Jose mine collapse and got trapped 33 men in Chile. The owner
and operator of that mine, the San Esteban Mining Co., did not complete
promised improvements to the mine where the men were trapped for 70
days, 2,300 feet (701 meters) underground. Many of the 33 trapped miners
and their peers had had numerous brushes with death in the depths of a
mine. Mario Gomez had two fingers sliced off by falling rocks. Victor
Segovia spent a year recovering after a rock slammed into his back.
Franklin Lobos was trapped for three hours during a previous cave-in.
Hector Avila worked 20 years in the mines and became close friends with
several of the recently-trapped miners when he worked with them at the
San Jose mine. A geologist was killed in the same 2007 accident,
prompting the closure of the San Jose mine. But the mine was reopened
soon after.
Since 2000, 374 miners have died practicing their
trade in Chile, according to government statistics. That seems like a
fun job, doesn't it?
(Link)
Target Girls
Target girl is a term sometimes used in circus and vaudeville to denote a
female assistant in "impalement" acts such as knife throwing, archery
or sharpshooting. The assistant stands in front of a target board or is
strapped to a moving board and the impalement artist throws knives or
shoots projectiles so as to hit the board but miss the assistant. The
presence of an assistant as a human target provides a powerful element
of risk. Without assistants placing themselves in danger these acts
would be simple demonstrations of accuracy, but with the potential for
injury or death the show is much more dramatic. Where can I apply?
(Link)
Loggers
Logging takes an annual toll like few other occupations. The biggest
hazard, according to Roger Smith of RL Logging in Olympia, Wash., comes
from logging mountain slopes. "You're working steep terrain with
70-degree, 80-degree grades with rocks and sliding logs," he says. About
half the time, he's taking down 60- to 70-year-old trees with trunk
diameters of 30 inches or more. If not felled correctly, these can go
crashing down slopes, rolling over anyone in their paths. The old forest
canopies often have those snags, which are big dead branches that break
off and can fall erratically when the tree comes down. Loggers call
them "widow makers." Even after the trees are cut, the job of loading
them can be tough. "Somebody just got killed here recently," he says.
"He was running a harvester and one of the teeth of the chain broke off
and went right through the bulletproof glass window of his cab."
(Link)
Fishermen
129 deaths per 100,000 people employed in the industry and 61 injuries
per 100,000 for 2008, makes working in the Fishing Industry the number
one most dangerous job in the world. A Cable TV show, Deadliest Catch,
on the Discovery Network, shows real crab fishers in the Bering Sea.
They make a living working many hours a day, 7 days a week, often in the
dark, without a break for long stretches of time. They must perform the
catch within the window of opportunity, or lose their income for the
year. Freezing water and icy boat decks can lead to horrific accidents,
and storms can swamp small fishing vessels, sometimes claiming entire
crews.
(Link)
Deminers
Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing either land mines,
or naval mines, from an area. Manual demining is still the best system
currently in use because it has been proven that the current generation
of mine clearance machines can only clear up to an 80 percent certainty
at best, whereas manual demining can give a 99.6 percent certainty. But
this work can be very dangerous. Demining resulted in at least 500
deaths from 1996 to 2002.
(Link)
Construction Worker
These are the people you see hoisting those giant steel beams to create
the structural framework of office buildings and other large projects.
The United Steelworkers union claims that deaths among structural
construction workers are increasing as owners and managers try to cut
costs. The most common cause of death among them, according to the BLS,
is falling.
Skyscraper Windows Cleaners
