The financial toll is just as staggering. Despite these grim figures, most people assume their job is safe. This sense of security is not only false, it's a major obstacle to job safety, says David Amos, senior consultant with the National Safety Council's Occupational Safety and Health Unit. And until workers and their employers take those risks seriously, people will continue to get hurt. The dangers are as diverse as the jobs.
Computer programmers strain their hands and arms at keyboards.
Police officers develop heart disease from constant stress. House painters brush against power lines. Day-care workers catch hepatitis A from dirty diapers. Veterinarians lose fingertips to Dobermans. Safety inspectors get blindsided at intersections while driving to construction sites.