Flight crew

My high school never had a full time on-site careers advisor. Instead, a message was read out one morning that simply said if you fancied speaking to a careers advisor, to make yourself known and something would be arranged. Not exactly inspiring. But my friend did exactly that. He raised his hand. He made himself known. He spoke to the advisor. What followed was a series of work placements and advice on college courses that saw him sail through to becoming an electrician. Everybody else stayed in school and went to university. He has three homes now. Two of them are abroad. But enough about my jealousy. Because the silver lining is that electricians and engineers are exposed to hazards like minor burns, contact with contaminants, cuts, and falls. Electricians are also at risk of developing mesothelioma symptoms from exposure to asbestos. Let’s take a look at some other jobs that aren’t great for your health. 

Medical staff

This one is an easy home-run of a profession that’s jam-packed with health risk. Dealing with sick patients all day every day means being around disease. Admittedly, you can’t catch a broken arm and the chances of developing symptoms of burns or scalds from being too near someone else with that condition is, well, zero. But you can become infected with viral diseases. You can cut yourself on an array of medical instruments. And you can face violence from a variety of unstable patients.  

Immigration and customs staff

Think about it. Your immune system wasn’t built in a day. Over years of exposure to local viruses, diseases, and contaminants, you’ve built up a personal resistance worthy of any drug company. But you’re only immune (or partially immune) to local hazards. Working in immigration and customs exposes you to all manner of unclean and unwashed items such as food, plant life, and pets. You literally work on a conveyor belt of potential health risks.

Flight crew 

Flight crew sort of combines similar risks to medical staff and immigration staff, in that you are at heightened risk of exposure to aggression, cuts, burns, and foreign diseases. Sure, there’s all that travel involved for free, but most flight crews report little more than seeing the inside of an airport and a hotel room before being shipped off on the next job – it’s not like you actually get to spend a week in all of these places, more like a few hours alone trying to sleep, which can also cause mental health issues through feelings of separation.