A hard day at work is something that every employee will experience at least once in their lifetime. Unfortunately, some workers have hard days at work on regular basis. We have to agree that the definition of a "hard job" can be subjective (regardless of it being a mentally or physically demanding job), but there are jobs that are considered dangerous or stressful no matter how subjective you are.
Depending on the location and the type of boat, some fishermen have to spend a long period of time at sea, which isn't easy for the psyche nor safe. Common dangers that come with the job are hazardous weather, collisions, broken equipment and injuries due to slippery decks. On top of that, the remoteness of their boats out in the sea makes it difficult for the medical personnel to respond timely in some cases, which can have tragic results.
Not just that oil rig workers have to transport heavy cargo and manage dangerous, even deadly machines on daily basis at incredible heights, they also have to deal with toxic and inflammable waste, far away from the shore, in isolation. This is one of the jobs where everything could go horribly wrong even if you did everything right.
Maybe it doesn't sound life-threatening, but it surely is a highly stressful job, as there is a great amount of responsibility. It's hard to be relaxed when you know that the marketing, the reputation, and the company's success depends on the events that you need to organize and manage in the smallest detail. Last minute issues that MUST be solved regularly arise, and they need to be handled in the best way possible. As there are too many variables that an event coordinator doesn't have control of, it is almost a rule that problems will arise and they have to be dealt with on the fly.
The stress of maneuvering a multi-million dollar aircraft full of people whose lives depend on you each time you take off can't be compared to a lot of things. As a pilot's error can lead to the plane's malfunction, it is clear that pilots have to undergo frequent psychological evaluation, as fatigue and stress can compromise performance. Budget airline pilots are even more prone to stress, as their salaries are low, and their flights are frequent.
Logging is dangerous throughout the whole year, but the peak season for accidents and serious injuries are in July, September and October. The outdoors is where they work all the time no matter what the weather is. Even though their working equipment is far better than 50 years ago, including helmet shell, safety work boots and chaps, it is still a job that declines in employment rate as it is also extremely physically hard to do.
Construction is already one of the most difficult fields in industry, but being a foreman is the toughest in this field. They are responsible for project's streamlining in general, and let's not forget the fact fatal accidents happen on the construction site too often. A construction foreman works at great heights, where one wrong step can lead them to certain death. And the dangers don't end there - they can get electrocuted, exposed to hazardous and toxic materials, get ill from inhaling too much smoke and dust.
Not only that firefighters rescue people from collapsed or burning buildings, they are also exposed to asbestos that can severely damage their bodies. As a building is burning down, asbestos particles burn down and disperse into the air. Not just that, but firefighters can also get sick of dust, debris, chemicals and smoke. Diseases like mesothelioma and pleural mesothelioma that can attack firefighters are very insidious, as it sometimes takes years for the symptoms to appear, and then it's already too late.
Of course, not everybody would agree with this list. Unfortunately, there are a lot of other jobs that are considered to be highly stressful, whether it's because workers jeopardize their physical health or the mental pressure is too high and frequent. The list could be expanded, of course, but it doesn't change the fact that men and women doing these jobs deserve a medal just for the sole fact they are ready to do it.
Biologist by day, writer by night, and a huge geek. My fields of expertise could be summed up to health, fitness and nutrition-related topics. My interests are on the other hand wide and ever-evolving.