'World's most dangerous job' has a death rate of 15% and takes up to two years to train for

There are many jobs in this world which place someone in a dangerous and inhospitable situation where risk of death is very much real.

Some jobs that need to be done are by their very nature not safe tasks to perform.

Take working on a tugboat for example, by working around water and having to handle heavy equipment the risks are significantly raised as there's all sorts of things that can go wrong.

Spare a thought for the shipbreakers who dismantle the gargantuan metal hulks which once sailed across the seas who face the risk of being crushed and sliced by the very thing they're taking apart.

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Another profession which sits among these and is sometimes referred to as the 'world's most dangerous job' is underwater welding.

According to Gitnux it's a profession that has a fatality rate of up to 15 percent and requires a lot of training to do.

You would need to know how to dry weld and wet weld, as well as be a professional diver who actually knows what they're doing deep beneath the sea.

The dangers are many as working with electricity underwater is always going to carry the risk of electrocution, while being underwater is always going to carry the danger of drowning.

Plus there's all the other dangers of diving down under the sea, with plenty of environmental hazards to contend with that would make even the most experienced diver concerned.

The average lifespan of an underwater welder is around 35 to 40 years, so it's a very dangerous profession.

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So why on earth would someone want to do this job?

Good question, and the answer really depends on how experienced you're willing to get.

According to Indeed, an underwater welder would expect to make on average £70,000 a year ($88,000), but the actual earnings figure is more likely to vary wildly depending on experience and the availability of work.

An experienced diver and welder who is regularly able to find work is likely to be able to earn much more than that, and travel the world to a decent extent to boot.

While there's opportunities around the world and the potential to earn a lot of money out of it, that's got to be balanced by the incredibly dangerous nature of the work, equipment and environment you'd be getting involved with.

Some people dive down for treasure and never come back up.

Topics: Health, Jobs

Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

@MrJoeHarker