• Fatality rate per 100,000 workers: 26.9
• Median wage: $50,160

Structural collapses remain one of the most common dangers iron workers face, as well as falls and electrocutions from contacts with power lines.

Last year, 16 iron workers died on the job, the Labor Department said.

This year, the industry's union is hoping to bring that fatality number down to zero. It has launched a safety campaign called "2012 Zero Fatality" that highlights the "deadly dozen" dangers that iron workers face.

The industry has also worked closely with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop new safety standards to protect its members while they're building the nation's skyscrapers, bridges and condo towers.

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