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Police have dangerous jobs but some occupations more fatal

The latest federal Census of Fatal Occupational Industries came out last month, and I was interested to learn that the fatality rate among police officers and sheriff's deputies declined more than 20% in 2008 from 2007 - from 19.8 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent jobs down to a rate of 15.6 per 100,000 last year (the same as in 2006). That's welcome news.According to these data, law enforcement officers rank at the top of the fatality list among American service workers, with an on-the-job death rate more than five times as high as the average municipal employee (who in 2008 suffered a fatality rate of 2.7 per 100,000).So in a real sense it's true, as the saying goes, that police officers "put their lives on the line every day." But to place that statement into context, it's worth mentioning there are many common jobs more hazardous than being a police officer, including some among municipal employees...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on September 15, 2009 (boomark / email).