What Are California's Most Deadly Occupations?

CALIFORNIA — Even in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, professional drivers face the highest risk of dying on the job, according to a 2020 joint report from the California Division of Occupational and Safety Health.

104 workers in what the report deems “transportation and material moving occupations” died on the job in California in 2020. That includes cab drivers, sales workers, and truck drivers.
70 workers classified as “driver/sales workers and truck drivers” were killed on the job in 2020. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers reported 56 fatalities, and “material moving workers” - i.e. farm laborers, tractor operators, etc. - reported 22.

These statistics are almost double what the number of fatalities in the next most dangerous industries. Construction laborers reported 34 fatalities, though the general category of “construction trades workers came in as the next most dangerous, with 78 total fatalities.

Jobs that one might expect to be dangerous, like an electrician, roofer, industrial truck and tractor operators, and metal and plastic workers, reported single-digit fatalities (6, 9, 4, and 4, respectively.)

In total, 463 workers died on the job in California in 2020: 97 from violence and other injuries, 122 from transportation incidents; 5 from fires and explosions; 99 from falls, slips, or trips; 85 from exposure to harmful substances; and 52 from contact with objects and equipment.

Below are the 10 most dangerous jobs in California, ranked by number of recorded fatalities in 2020:

1. Drivers/sales workers/truck drivers: 70
2. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck driver: 56
3. Construction laborers: 34
4. Grounds maintenance workers: 29
5. Agricultural workers: 22
6. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse: 17
7. Protective service workers: 17
8. Tree trimmers and pruners: 17
9. Security guards and gambling surveillance officers: 16
10. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers: 14

The two least dangerous jobs, with one single fatality each, were media and communication equipment workers, and drafters, engineering, and mapping technicians.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also broke down the statistics by demographics and employee status:

• Men made up the large majority of fatalities. 428 men died, compared to 35 women.
• Salaried workers also made up the large majority of fatalities. 380 fatalities were classified as “wage and salary” (which can include volunteers, or cases where employment status is unknown), while 83 were classified as self-employed.
• Age was fairly evenly distributed. Fatalities were largest in the group from 55-64 (108) followed by 45-54 (91), followed by 20 to 24 (84.) No fatalities under the age of 17 were reported.
• Latino workers suffered the most fatalities at 214, followed by whites at 180. This is significantly higher than Asian (31) or Black workers (28).

In California, family members are entitled to workers’ compensation death benefits without needing to prove that the employer caused the death of a loved one due to negligence. However, collecting benefits means that surviving family members give up their right to sue the worker's employer. Typically, death benefits equal two-thirds of the worker’s wages, paid on a weekly basis, and they cannot be less than $224 a week. Workers’ comp insurance must also pay up to $10,000 in burial expenses. Death benefits are capped at $320,000.

Families can also sue for wrongful death up to two years after the incident if they believe the deceased died due to employer negligence. In this case, families will have to prove negligence, but the payout can be significantly higher. See here for more information.