Work is a bigger killer than drink, drugs or war. Around two million people die every year from work-⁠related accidents and diseases. Worldwide, the most dangerous jobs are in agriculture, mining and construction. The second most dangerous job was fishing and third was airplane pilots. Nearly all of the pilots died in small-⁠plane crashes, not passenger jets. The third most common cause of death on the job in all occupations was murder. Fifty policemen were murdered. Falls were the second most common cause of death.

Roofers and structural-⁠metalworkers were the main victims. The most common cause of death on the job was the car accident. Even police officers were slightly more likely to die behind the wheel than by homicide. The risk of death can be calculated using the Duckworth scale. It measures the likelihood of dying as a result of any given activity. The safest kind of activity scores zero and eight will result in certain death.