You Better Watch Out…

December 12, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Santa had better watch out - at least in Sweden, according to new research.

According to a new study, the most dangerous job in – by far – is reindeer herding. How dangerous? Well, 150 herders have died in the past four decades – more than twice the number of farmers who’ve been killed, and three times the number of people killed in construction accidents.

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The authors of the study, Fatal Accidents and Suicide smong Reindeer Herding Samis in , notes that herders are often alone and regularly drive on difficult terrain and thin ice. The Sami, once called the Lapps, are believed to have followed herds of reindeer to ‘s northern fringe thousands of years ago, according to the AP.

The study was conducted for the Swedish Sami legislature with the aim of determining if an increase in the number of motor vehicles and socio-economic pressure had increased the risk for fatal, work-related accidents.

As for reindeer, there are an estimated 300,000 in , a nation of some 9 million people.

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