Salary Comparison
Who gets paid more, carpenters or plumbers? Plumbers make the most money in Illinois, Alaska, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. In Illinois, plumbers make $86,120 per year on average.
The Happiest Career
What career is the happiest? Information technology workers report being the happiest.
Health Risks for Plumbers
Yes, plumbers can get extremely sick from exposure to human waste which puts them at risk for illnesses like E. coli, stomach parasites, and hepatitis A. Hepatitis B and C can also be transmitted through contact with tiny amounts of blood that may not be visible.
How do plumbers get hepatitis? Plumbers get hepatitis through contact with human waste, feces, and blood. What precautions do plumbers take? Precautions plumbers take include wearing personal protective equipment like nitrile gloves, washing work clothes separately, and proper hand washing techniques.
Can hepatitis be transmitted through food? Yes, hepatitis A outbreaks are often linked to contaminated restaurant food. Foods most likely to transmit hepatitis A are fruits, vegetables, and shellfish. Hepatitis B cannot be transmitted through food.
Occupational Hazards
Plumbers face risks from asbestos, lead, chemicals, and human waste. These expose them to hepatitis, E. coli, stomach parasites, silicosis, and other illnesses. The average master plumber is 58. Risks like asbestos exposure often cause cancer decades later. Studies show the highest cancer rates in those born 1950-1964. The asbestos cancer death rate is 68 per 100,000 occupationally exposed people. This compares to 11 per 100,000 deaths from crashes nationwide in 2018.
Basic plumbing hazards include lead, silica, mold, solvents, solder, and dusts. Water and electricity together risk burns and electrocution from bare wires or gas pipes being cut accidentally. Leaks causing mold also threaten health.
Risk Management
Risk controls start with identifying hazards, prioritizing them, and mitigating the serious ones first. An example is a gas leak’s explosion risk-taking priority over harm from residual gas or fumes. Asking occupants to exit removes that secondary risk. Staying aware and taking precautions are vital for plumbers’ safety.