Workplace Fitness: The unhealthiest jobs (you've probably got one)

How healthy is your work environment? We all face challenges, for some it's an office full of candy dishes and donuts and for others it's about physical danger and hardhats are involved. There are different kinds of health hazards, but for the purposes of finding out which jobs were the unhealthiest the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently did a survey where they tracked how often employees in different professions sustained on-the-job injuries that caused them to miss at least one day of work.

The results may surprise you.

The #1 most unhealthy job is Construction Worker, and admittedly that one doesn't surprise me much with all the heights, potential for falling debris, and heavy-duty machinery, but the #2 job took me a bit by surprise: Office/Administrative Staff. I realize that repetitive strain injuries are fairly common, but they're common enough to rank working in an office as the second most unhealthy job? That's both amazing and sad.

The rest of the list includes other seemingly harmless jobs likes sales, nursing aides, housekeepers, and even waiters. What, no asbestos removal technicians?

So you've got a risky job, now what? (I've actually had 4 of these 8 in my life already) What can you do about it? Don't worry, there's plenty of ways to protect yourself.

How to keep your unhealthy job from killing you

Do job-specific workouts
This means that you should target whatever muscles and muscle-groups your job asks you to use the most. Even if you sit at a desk all day, treating yourself like an athlete (working with a physical therapist, getting regular exercise, targeting trouble spots) can help set your body up for whatever it is you're demanding of it.

Take regular breaks
Many injuries, especially over-use injuries, can be completely avoided in many cases by simply taking regular breaks to stretch, change positions, and relax. Do some deep breathing exercises and take the opportunity to give your body a break from your normal workload, i.e. if you stand all day sit down, or if you sit all day stand up. And if you need to set a timer to go off every hour or so to remind you, do it.

Keep back-up supplies
If you use any safety equipment, like safety goggles, gloves, or a back-brace, make sure you always have a spare on hand.

Know your rights
No matter where you work or what you do, your employer should have a safety program and safety guidelines for you to follow -- follow them. If they don't have one then talk to management about getting one and, if you need to, report them to OSHA.

Be proactive
Don't wait until you get hurt to start taking precautions against getting hurt again. Preventing it the first time around is so much easier!