Physical Danger
Many seismologists spend their time measuring data in labs, so they don't exactly stare in face of death every day. Even though they're sometimes measuring the effects of catastrophic events, the labs aren't necessarily in the danger zones. The machines in the labs actually get the skinny from the machines in the field. Wow, seems like the field-machines get the short end of the stick.
However, seismologists who do a lot of fieldwork might be in for some trouble. Hiking in areas where the ground tends to shake and/or spew lava isn't exactly the safest thing to be doing. Seismologists who work for oil and mining companies don't exactly have risk-free work environments either. Explosions, equipment malfunctions, toxic chemicals—this stuff can kill you.