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Building demolition 
Life insurance
prices are all about life expectancy: The longer you're likely to live,
the lower your premium. If you're in a risky job that can affect your
life expectancy, you may get an unpleasant surprise when you apply for
life insurance: Denials.
The good news is that folks in "risky" jobs have a better chance than ever of getting good life insurance rates.
Thanks to OSHA regulations and workplace-safety requirements, even jobs
that seem outlandishly risky may not be and won't scuttle a life
insurance purchase: Skyscraper-window washer? No problem. SWAT team?
Come on in! Soldier in Iraq? Yes, possibly! Asbestos removal expert? Uh
oh, hold on. . . .
Asbestos removal 
People in occupations dealing with hazardous
materials, or that take place inside nuclear reactors, will be denied
or offered "rated" policies, meaning offered at a higher price to
account for the "excess risk." It can add up. A rated policy "probably
starts at a minimum of two to three dollars extra per $1,000 of
coverage annually, and it could go higher. So $100,000 in coverage
means $300 more. It can get very expensive," says Kevin Coughlin of
Target Insurance Services. His company specializes in helping agents
find policies for clients who are "impaired risks," meaning they have a
health condition, hobby or job that makes finding life insurance
difficult.
Zookeeper 
Flying a plane will crash your chances for life
insurance. The helicopter pilot who delivers your morning traffic
report is likely flying uninsured.
Firefighters should have no problem. Smoke jumpers
are another matter — those are the guys who jump out of airplanes to
extinguish forest fires.
Are you working in a tunnel? No good. And "anybody in the mining industry will usually get a rating," says Coughlin.
"Standard military personnel will have no issue,
only aviation military," says Coughlin. "Average service men or women
can probably get preferred rates. Some companies take them even if
they’re being deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan; others won’t."
The folks who set up your Fourth of July fireworks
show are likely without life insurance. Anything having to do with
explosives will put you on the fast track to denial, such as building
demolition.
Circus acrobat 
Scuba diving downs your chances, too — whether it's your hobby or your job.
Electric company lineman? You'd think that would be an issue but here's a shocker — they can get preferred or standard rates.
Anything having to do with working with exotic
animals takes a bite out of insurance prospects. Zookeepers could have
a tough time. Rodeo cowboys? Rated policies. Circus-animal wranglers?
Could have trouble.
In fact, circuses present a parade of risky
occupations: trapeze artists and high-flying acrobats all should expect
rated life insurance policies.
"If you’re a clown, I think you’re fine," says
Coughlin. But he notes, "I can’t remember the last time a circus
performer wanted coverage."
How to get life insurance when your job is risky
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"The most important thing an individual can do is feel comfortable with
their agent — that he or she represents more than one company and has
resources to fully shop and survey the market through the brokerage
community," says Gary Dworkin, chairman of the National Association of
Independent Life Brokerage Agencies.
"The most important thing for an insurance company is the ability to
collect and provide greater details of information. The most important
thing you can do is to give the underwriter full information" about
your case, advises Dworkin. "The more you can fill in the details, the
more clearly the underwriter can see the individual, and the more
accurately and comfortably he can assess whatever extra risk is needed
to cover that person."
A good agent will know how to shop the market for you, even if you believe your occupation will render you "uninsurable."
For more, read 8 ways to find life insurance when you're "uninsurable."
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