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Westchester Workers Do Some Of The Most Dangerous Jobs

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. - Police, firefighters and other first responders can face dangers every day, but construction workers, truck drivers and even fishermen are the most likely to be injured on the job in Westchester.

Electricians and utility workers experience a high level of injuries during the performance of their work.

Photo Credit: Danny LoPriore
Firefighters, like these at a recent Yonkers fire, are at risk of injury or death.

Firefighters, like these at a recent Yonkers fire, are at risk of injury or death.

Photo Credit: Daily Voice

According to a study by the most recent National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2012 loggers are the most likely to be injured or killed on the job, followed by fishing workers, pilots and flight engineers, roofers an steel and iron workers.

In Weschester, there have been several deaths on the job since 2011 and each has involved sanitation or maintenance workers, which are in the Top 10 most dangerous jobs.

Eastchester Department of Public Works employee Nicholas Farella was killed in October 2013, when he was crushed by a sanitation truck that backed up and wedged him between the truck and the pole.

In August 2013, a cable television technician was killed in Scarsdale when a motorist drove into the ladder on which he was working.

In November 2011, a town highway department worker in Mamaroneck, Robert Delvecchio, was killed when he was run over by a truck at the town's sanitation and recycling center.

The National Census study said the most-dangerous jobs list is dominated by blue-collar occupations that involve manual labor in high-risk work environments such as construction sites, factories and harsh outdoors. 

Joseph Zotti Jr., an electrician from Yonkers, said his job can be dangerous because of weather, heights and other factors.

"I changed the bulbs on the baseball field lights on Fleming Field in Yonkers," Zotti said. "My helper did one pole and was going to quit, so the boss had to do three more poles. The poles sway back and forth, the screws are full of bird (feces), frozen and about to break off and you have to climb down after your hands are frozen."

Police and firefighters are subject to the elements as well as dangers related to fires and criminal behavior. Firefighters often sustain minor and serious burns and injuries, smoke inhalation and exposure.

In September 2001, a Westchester County police officer was hospitalized after his attempt to break up a fight between two soccer teams provoked players to kick and punch the officer at the Saxon Woods field.

Several Westchester residents offered their opinons on risky jobs via Facebook.

"Auto techs," said Yonkers native Gregg Bopp, a  mechanic. "Missing fingers, smashed hands and heads, deep cuts and gashes, foreign objects in the eyes, etc. Get the picture?"

And Noah Howard Pomeranz, a former parking ticket officer in Hastings-on-Hudson, said his job was thankless and often seemed dangerous.

Top 10 Most Dangerous Jobs 

1. Loggers

2. Fishing Industry

3. Pilots - Flight Engineers

4. Roofers

5. Structural Iron, Steel Workers

6. Refuse, Recyclable Materials Collection

7.  Electrical Power Line Installers

8. Drivers, Sales Workers, Truck Drivers

9.  Farmers and Ranchers

10.  Construction Laborers

Is your job dangerous? Leave a comment on what occupations have the most health risks.

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