A section of the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, WV (Matt Sullivan/Getty Images/Getty)
The recent accidents in a West Virginia mine and a Gulf of Mexico oil rig have a lot of us focusing on dangerous jobs, and asking: what makes some careers so dangerous? And what drives some workers to risk their lives for their work?
Abigail Gehring, author of "Dangerous Jobs: The World's Riskiest Ways to Make an Extra Buck," spent years researching what drives people to stay in jobs others might think are unsafe. Paul Soltys also joins us. He’s been working in residential construction for the past thirty years. It turns out construction is the fourth most dangerous job in America.
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Comedian Baratunde Thurston on 'How to Be Black'
Today's Takeaway: Focus on Violence Syria
In-Depth Look at the Situation in Syria
Today's Takeaway: Big Night for Rick Santorum
Some Combat Restrictions for Women Lifted
'Tebow Bill' May Allow Home-Schoolers to Play on High School Teams
Today's Takeaway: Multi-Billion Dollar Foreclosure Settlement Imminent
Is Our Constitution Out of Date?
David Sanger's Guide to the History of Syria
A Closer Look at the Assad Regime
In-Depth Look at the Situation in Syria
A Personal Look at the Opposition in Syria
Notes from the Conservative Political Action Conference
What the Mortgage Settlement Means for the Housing Market
Two New Nuclear Reactors Get Go-Ahead
Comedian Baratunde Thurston on 'How to Be Black'
What Did Clint and Chrysler Mean by 'Half Time in America'?
Multi-Billion Dollar Foreclosure Settlement Imminent
Contraception Coverage Draws Criticism from Catholic Bishops
No 'Safety Net' for Middle Class?
'Tebow Bill' May Allow Home-Schoolers to Play on High School Teams
Some Combat Restrictions for Women Lifted
Public Debate Over a Controversial Childhood Obesity Campaign
Being Gay: A Listener's Story
US Mayors Take on Gun Control... During the Super Bowl

The show is a co-production of WNYC Radio and Public Radio International, in collaboration with The BBC World Service, New York Times Radio and WGBH Boston.
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