Most Dangerous Jobs in the world Part 3: Rail and road workers
This is the third part in the series of a collection of articles about the most dangerous jobs in the world. Some are just what you what expect, whilst others hold a few surprises for you.
There are many dangerous jobs in the world but one of the most common and dangerous is the job carried out by rail and road workers. During the years 1995 to 2002,
844 workers died whilst working on a road construction site. Most of these workers died by being hit by a vehicle or piece of equipment whilst working on the road. 93% of these workers were male. The number of fatalities actually rose over these years, showing that no real change was made to the work environment or health and safety procedures which diminished the risk of death or injury.The trouble with working on a rail construction site is that the work conditions are constantly changing, and it can be difficult to keep re-evaluating the working health and safety of the site. High speed vehicles can speed pass at alarming speeds, which causes a great threat to anyone working within the construction site itself, or even trying to enter it or leave it.The vehicles on a construction site need to be expertly handled by someone trained in the vehicle, otherwise this could also cause injury.People that work on the railway lines are also exposed to risk of injury. The live electrical wires are highly dangerous and only expert personnel should attempt to climb onto the lines to fix them, extend them, or whatever the project may be.Anyone who applies for a job in one of these fields should be aware of the risk factor involved. Although a highly rewarding job, rail or road workers are exposed to risk. When you receive your employment contracts, you should review it thoroughly to analyse the health and safety aspect of the contract. You may even want to seek employment contracts advice if you believe you are being put in a dangerous situation where the project has not carried out relevant risk assessments or procedures that ensure the safety of its workers. In most cases, the rail or road working company takes extensive measures to provide its workers with a safe working environment, but it is always worth saying if you are unsure about something or feel that an area isn’t safe. It is up to the worker to report incidents and inform their managers when something isn’t quite right. Working together, the number of injuries and fatalities can gradually fall.
