If the height of danger involved in your job is tackling the rush hour traffic or wrestling with the paper trays on the photocopier then you don’t have too much to worry about. There are however some jobs that involve a high degree of danger daily – in some cases hazardous or even potentially deadly roles.
These are just some of the most dangerous high paid jobs in the UK.
Offshore Oil Platform Worker
Living on an oil rig and working away from home for lengthy periods of time with large blocks of time off might seem like a great job, but it is one of the most dangerous jobs that’s out there. The job involves operating heavy equipment, as well as carrying out maintenance on the machinery, rig operations and drill operations. Workers put in long hours, usually 12-hour shifts, and can be away from their families for lengthy periods of time, they are often based in remote areas with life taking place completely on the rig. The dangerous conditions combined with the unsociable aspects of the job means that workers are rewarded for the sacrifices they make with high salaries; on average around £50,000 per year.
Mining Construction Worker
Work in the mining construction industry can also involve working away from home for long periods of time. As the work involved is mainly overseas – in areas such as South America, Australia and Africa – this almost certainly involves longer periods of time away from loved ones in comparison to oil rig work. There are varying degrees of danger involved in the industry depending on the exact job undertaken.
Roof bolters, who work primarily in coal mines, using machinery to help prop up the roof of the mine usually command one of the highest salaries as the work they do is considered to be the riskiest.
Starting salaries in the industry begin at £25,000 but can easily rise up to £50,000 with a few years of experience.
Closer to home coal mining is also considered a very dangerous job, with the potential for a mine to collapse and the lack of air filtration that is found in the mine. This work also offers a good salary, although not as high as mining construction work.
Commercial Diver
Whilst there might not be lots of job opportunities for commercial divers, there are some big jobs available in this field. Commercial divers install, inspect and repair equipment, they rig explosives and take photographs underwater, the dangerous part, as if rigging explosives isn’t dangerous enough is that they do all of this whilst underwater.
Diving, itself carries with it certain dangers, such as getting stuck underwater or having issues with oxygen tanks. The injury rate for this job is quite high although many of the injuries are minor things such as sprains and strains. However due to the dangerous nature of the job, much of which can be unpredictable the salary is high, up to around £60,000 per year.
Security Work
Whilst nightclub bouncers and supermarket security staff don’t earn large salaries there are bigger salaries to be had within the industry and of course these jobs carry with them greater risks to warrant the higher pay checks.
Bodyguards and protection officers who work in high risk areas can earn a very healthy amount per day, around £500. There is a significant amount of training involved, the Service Industry Authority training course takes 138 hours to complete, but there are plenty of opportunities available following qualification. Traditionally these are popular options for those people who have already worked in higher risk jobs such as ex-forces personnel and former police officers.
Civil Engineer
Civil engineering might not sound like a very dangerous job but the men and women who choose this as a career put themselves in all sorts of dangerous situations during the course of their working day.
Anything can happen from excavations collapsing or even being hit by a vehicle. There are also risks from encountering electricity and there have been reported cases of hypothermia that have caused death for some civil engineers. All the risks that they face really depend on the project they are working on and these can vary significantly in how dangerous they are. Typically, a civil engineer can expect to earn around £39,000 per year.
Large Animal Vet
When you think of vets you probably think rabbits, puppies and fluffy kittens, but there are vets who specialise in larger animals. These vets deal with animals who are much larger and heavier and therefore more of a danger when it comes to causing injury. The average milk cow weighs in at around 680kg, they might look pretty harmless but with such weight behind them they have the potential to cause some serious injury. Vets with a number of years’ experience who specialise in large animals can expect to earn around £44,000 per year.
Whether you’ve lofty ambitions of being a highly paid member of a team that tackles dangerous jobs, or prefer the quieter office based life, you have to have respect for anyone willing to tackle the dangerous jobs above.