by While sitting in the office, is your biggest risk running out of coffee? Or having NO internet connection when you are on a deadline?
Well think again, there are some brave souls out there trying to make a living with their lives at risk.
One can’t help but wonder whether these plucky employees took the most important factors into consideration, such as the potential dangers of the job, or whether it was the benefits that intrigued them enough to find out.
Most of the time, the factor we give the most consideration when seeking for a job or business, is the pay.
We just want to know how lucrative the job or business is, and what the returns are like.
It is true that every lucrative business has a certain level of risk and fatality attached, but for these jobs, setting out for work every new day is completely life threatening.
Listed below are five SA professions that are considered “danger jobs”
Miners
South Africa’s mines are known to be among the deepest mines in the world, reaching depths as much as four kilometres.
Although it is considered as some of the most dangerous jobs in the country, in 2014 it was said to be the safest year in the industry. The record of fatalities that year stood at 84.
This year tells a different story as three miners are currently trapped underground in the Lily mine in Mpumalanga.
According to PayScale, a miner earns an average annual income of around R194 096, while the mining employment opportunities that require a higher education and more experience such as a mining engineer earn as much as R461 276 on average per year.
Firefighters
High risk is a give-in in a firefighter’s job. The Cape fires blazed for weeks on end in 201 and brave firefighters battled day and night through the heat and smoke to put the blazes out.
Fighting flames in forests and rescuing people from burning buildings demands extreme physical and mental strength. At times, these guys find themselves trapped in fires especially when there’s an explosion in the course of putting a fire out.
A firefighter earns an average salary of R116 202 per year according to PayScale.
The Armed Forces
Protecting and serving our nation when it is most needed, there are many career routes within the South African Police Service (SAPS) that qualify as dangerous jobs.
A police officer is faced with danger on a daily basis. Working on the streets and with people from different walks of life, police officers come into contact with crimes and criminals on a daily basis. Situations escalate, leaving police officers to make on-the-spot decisions, evaluate situations and apprehend sometimes dangerous criminals.
The average salary for a police officer is R143 042 per year plus benefits.
Mayday…Mayday…Mayday
It is said that air travel is considered the safest means of transport, however, it applies more to the passengers who are not in the air every day of their lives.
The lives of aircraft pilots are put on the line daily, and the main reason why their jobs are considered dangerous is due to the high fatality rate.
Another reason is also because of the very low possibility of being rescued or survival in cases of accidents.
The average pay for an airline pilot, co-pilot, or flight engineer is R396 629 per year.
Paramedics and EMTs
Paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are responsible for caring for the sick and injured in emergency situations.
Responding to emergency situations, EMTs and paramedics are often times exposed to dangerous situations – be it a shooting in dangerous areas or a natural disaster.
Aside from being one of the most dangerous jobs in South Africa, it is also a fulfilling one. Given the chance to be a first responder to an accident, you have the rare opportunity to make a difference when it comes to saving a life.
These guys earn an average salary of R 153 306 per year.
