14 Career Choices that Could Threaten Your Future Earning Potential

Those addicted to the rush of adrenaline may desire a risky, dangerous career that keeps their hearts pounding and their nerves on edge. Take heart, thrill seekers! There are many everyday jobs that elevate the risk of an early demise. You know what else is risky? Being in these — or any — job and not having disability insurance.

1. Logging: Canadians logged a staggering 1,345 loss time injuries and 18 fatalities in the logging industry in 2012 thanks to risks associated with falling trees and heavy equipment. Sadly, the tragedies in this industry are not confined to the ground.

2. Fishing and trapping: Canada was built on the fur the trade, and we are still proud of our fishing and trapping skills, but for the many that are injured each year, the risks of inadequate training, poor work practices, drowning, and faulty equipment left them swimming in misery due to lost work time and wages.

3. Flying: People have dreamed of flight for as long as we can remember. We’ve achieved the ability to travel the skies, but we failed to dream about airplanes being brought down by birds, fatal air traffic control mishaps, fire on board, design flaws, terrorism, running out of fuel mid-air… Actually, if you need a good excuse not to fly, just check out this page.

4. Roofing: Ah, a roof over your head is a wonderful thing. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have one. Especially unfortunate was the worker that plunged through a skylight while on a commercial project in Toronto. The Canadian construction industry averages just over 200 fatalities per year. Falls, sunstroke, badly erected scaffolding, and more make construction one of the most dangerous in Canada.

5. Structural steel or iron workers: Over three short years, the manufacturing industry racked up over 100,000 loss time incidents. Steel and iron workers are at much higher risk for falls, injury due to equipment failure, burns from welding, and more.

6. Garbage and recyclable collecting: “Separate all broken glass from your garbage and place it in a cardboard box clearly labelled ‘broken glass.’ Doing otherwise can result in serious injuries to collection operators,” urges Ottawa.ca. Waste collectors have to deal with bio-medical waste, heavy containers, moving equipment, road accidents, and toxic substances. It’s a heavy price to pay for clean neighbourhoods and homes.

7. Power line technicians: Here’s a shocking fact. Power line contact accounts for 75% of outdoor fatalities in Ontario. In addition to electrocution, power line technicians have to stay safe while working from great heights.

8. Truck drivers — actually, anyone on the road: Road accidents, falling asleep at the wheel, vehicle failure — these are just a few of the things that caused over 17,000 accidents in Canada in 2012.

9. Agriculture: If you got this far in the list, you are probably ready to relocate to the peaceful countryside, where the risk of injury and death is much lower… right? Sorry to put your hopes out to pasture, but agriculture is Canada’s third riskiest industry, especially for men. Machine rollovers are a top cause of death.

10. Construction: Not only do construction workers have to worry about working around dangerous equipment and on unstable structures, but the age of the worker also factors into their safety. Younger workers are more likely to be injured by being struck by objects, while older workers have a higher risk of slips and falls.

11. Mining: Mining has always been a dangerous occupation. With an average of 75 fatalities a year, this job is not for the faint of heart.

12. Firefighting: As OH&S shows, the risk for firefighters goes beyond their proximity to open flame. Biohazards, chemical reactions, heat stress, and physiological impact are disabling risks these brave men and women face every day.

13. Taxi driving: “Cab Driving is Riskier than Police Work!” says a CBC news headline. Turns out, cab drivers and police officers share Canada’s highest risk of being murdered while on the job.

14. Stunting: It goes without saying that stunt work is dangerous. Most people go out of their way to avoid high speed crashes, falls. and being lit on fire, but stuntmen and stuntwomen actively participate in these hazards. Filmed stunt work affords greater safety thanks to the “magic” of post-production, where visible safety measures are removed. Live stunt work carries a higher risk, but the riskier the stunt, the higher the appeal.

If you made it through this list without vowing to never leave your house again, congratulations. That’s a long list of frightening dangers that most of us will experience daily on the job. However, the reason we point all this out is to drive home the importance of disability insurance.

Now, I can see you rolling your eyes. After all, you have life insurance so why shell out more money, right? Well, life insurance only pays out when you are fatally injured. As you can see, there is plenty of opportunity in any profession to be injured enough to lose wages and work time.  Thankfully, not all accidents are fatal; but many of those accidents will leave you without the ability to earn an income.

Disability Insurance is akin to home or auto insurance. It protects against the big “what if?” What if you get injured on the job? What if you become one of the estimated one in three Canadians that will experience a serious injury or illness before age 64? How will you pay your bills or provide for your family? Without disability insurance, your financial future could be very bleak. Being covered for that “what if” gives you peace of mind, money in the bank, and a much more secure future.

The truth is, every job carries a high level of risk, and we all take precautions in wearing safety equipment and following the rules that get us home to our families each night. Don’t neglect disability insurance as part of your overall work-safe strategy. The saying is true — better safe than sorry.