High Risk Jobs

When discussing life insurance, the category of jobs considered 'high risk' can vary from broker to broker. There are, however, specific types of jobs that are listed more frequently. We can be quite certain that those who work in these occupations may need to pay significantly more for their life insurance premiums - or even acquire specialist advice. So what are these frequently listed 'high risk' jobs? And what exactly are the risks involved with them?

It's little surprise that miners feature under the term 'high risk' very often. In 2007, George Miller, the US chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, called for a legislation to increase miner safety. In his statement he highlighted that 'mining fatalities occur at a rate more than seven times the average for all private industries'. Additionally, he pointed out the resurgence of Black Lung Disease, a condition that is caused by working with coal dust over long periods of time and that can cause fibrosis and inflammation within the lungs.

Although it is statistically less safe to drive a car than it is to pilot a plane, aircraft pilots are considered 'high risk' for a number of reasons including the relationship between stress and pilot error. Robert J. Barish, a radiation specialist, has written in depth about the radiation risks to pilots. He states that airplane pilots and airline pilots should be regarded separately, for those who fly light aircraft endure little radiation whereas 'airline flight crew members have for years been considered radiation workers', with exposure to radiation even higher during high altitude and high latitude flights.

Steeplejacks are considered 'high risk' also. This daring occupation involves making repairs to very high buildings including spires and chimneys. Typically, a steeplejack will scale the building by using a ladder, and will then have to set up a Bosun's Chair in order to sit on and work from. A Bosun's chair is a suspended plank that acts as a seat. Despite the fact that abseiling equipment is gradually replacing the traditional equipment, the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) claim that falling from height is still the most common kind of workplace fatality.

Finally, oil rig workers also appear in the 'high risk' category frequently and therefore life insurance quotes for these workers are always high. Over the past few years, accidents on rigs and other safety issues have been highly publicised in the press, such as two deaths at the Shell owned Brent Bravo rig in 2003 due to a gas leak, and the BBC reported in 2005 that the shift work endured by rig workers significantly increases the risk of heart disease. It is the matter of working with flammable, pressurised materials in sometimes hostile environments that puts riggers firmly in the 'high risk' occupation category.

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