Fatal work injuries totaled 154 in 2012 for Ohio, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that while the 2012 count was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in Ohio was little changed from the previous year. Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 222 in 1999 to a low of 137 in 2009. (See chart 1.)

Nationwide, a preliminary total of 4,383 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2012, down from a revised count of 4,693 fatalities in 2011, according to results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. Final 2012 CFOI data will be released in spring 2014.

Of the 154 fatal work injuries reported in Ohio in 2012, 52 resulted from transportation incidents, 35 from contact with objects and equipment, and 32 from falls, slips, and trips. Together these three major categories accounted for more than three-quarters of all workplace fatalities. Other major event categories recorded 22 or fewer deaths each. (See table 1.) Within transportation incidents, roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles was the most frequent type of workplace fatality with 31 deaths. This category accounted for one-fifth of all work-related fatalities in the state. In the contact with objects and equipment and category, just over half (18) of the deaths occurred as a result of being struck by an object or equipment. In the falls, slips, and trips category, falls to a lower level accounted for 22 fatalities. (Note that transportation counts presented in this release are expected to rise when updated 2012 data are released in spring 2014 because key source documentation detailing specific transportation-related incidents has not yet been received.)

In the United States, transportation incidents were also the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2012, accounting for 41 percent of fatal work injuries. Ohio’s 34-percent share of fatalities due to this event was smaller. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second most frequent type of event nationally with 17 percent of work-related fatalities, 3 percentage points higher than the share in Ohio. Contact with objects or equipment (16 percent) and falls, slips, and trips (15 percent) were the third and fourth most frequent events, respectively, in the nation.

Additional key characteristics:

• The construction industry had the largest number of workplace fatalities with 29, an increase of 6 over the year. Falls, slips, and trips accounted for 16 worker deaths in this industry. (See table 2.)
• The transportation and warehousing industry had the next highest count with 23 fatalities, little changed from a year ago. Transportation incidents accounted for 14 worker deaths in the industry.
• Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of fatal work injuries with 40. (See table 3.) The majority of these fatalities were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (21). Workers in construction had the next highest fatality count at 33. Over three-quarters (25) were construction trades workers.
• Men accounted for 137, or 89 percent, of the work-related fatalities in the state. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up more than one-third of these fatalities.
• In Ohio, 82 percent of those who died from a workplace injury were white non-Hispanics. Nationwide, this group accounted for 68 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old—the prime working age group—accounted for 80, or just over half of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2012. Nationally, workers in this group accounted for 59 percent of on-the-job fatalities.
• Of the 154 fatal work injuries in Ohio, 74 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remaining were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for both groups was transportation incidents.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, part of the BLS occupational safety and health statistics program, compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the United States during the calendar year. The program uses diverse state, federal, and independent data sources to identify, verify, and describe fatal work injuries. This assures counts are as complete and accurate as possible.

For technical information about the CFOI program, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS web site at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/home.htm.

Federal/State agency coverage. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries includes data for all fatal work injuries, whether the decedent was working in a job covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or other federal or state agencies or was outside the scope of regulatory coverage. Thus, any comparison between the BLS fatality census counts and those released by other agencies should take into account the different coverage requirements and definitions being used by each agency.

Acknowledgments. The Bureau of Labor Statistics appreciates the efforts of all federal, state, local, and private sector entities that submitted source documents used to identify fatal work injuries, in particular the Ohio Department of Health.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Ohio, 2011-2012

Event or exposure(1)	2011	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	155	154	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	24	22	14
Intentional injury by person	24	19	12
Intentional injury by other person	14	15	10
Shooting by other person--intentional	12	12	8
Self-inflicted injury--intentional	10	4	3
Transportation incidents	61	52	34
Pedestrian vehicular incident	10	5	3
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	37	31	20
Roadway collision with other vehicle	15	13	8
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	8	4	3
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	1	4	3
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	19	15	10
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	19	15	10
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	9	13	8
Nonroadway noncollision incident	5	10	6
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	4	6	4
Falls, slips, trips	22	32	21
Falls on same level	7	9	6
Falls to lower level	15	22	14
Other fall to lower level	10	17	11
Other fall to lower level 16 to 20 feet	--	4	3
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	20	10	6
Contact with objects and equipment	25	35	23
Struck by object or equipment	19	18	12
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	7	7	5
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	8	7	5
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	6	13	8
Caught in running equipment or machinery	4	8	5
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	--	4	3
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward. Total may include other events not shown. (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2012 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2014.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State, New York City, District of Columbia, and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Ohio, 2011-2012

Industry(1)	2011	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	155	154	100
Private industry	143	143	93
Natural resources and mining	20	21	14
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	17	19	12
Crop production	15	12	8
Animal production	--	6	4
Cattle ranching and farming	--	5	3
Construction	23	29	19
Construction	23	29	19
Construction of buildings	5	6	4
Residential building construction	4	5	3
Residential building construction	4	5	3
Specialty trade contractors	15	20	13
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	5	9	6
Roofing contractors	--	5	3
Building finishing contractors	3	4	3
Other specialty trade contractors	3	4	3
Manufacturing	15	14	9
Manufacturing	15	14	9
Trade, transportation, and utilities	38	37	24
Wholesale trade	4	5	3
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	2	5	3
Retail trade	9	7	5
Transportation and warehousing	24	23	15
Truck transportation	18	19	12
General freight trucking	8	11	7
General freight trucking, long-distance	5	7	5
Specialized freight trucking	3	4	3
Professional and business services	13	11	7
Administrative and waste services	--	11	7
Administrative and support services	9	9	6
Services to buildings and dwellings	6	6	4
Landscaping services	5	4	3
Educational and health services	10	7	5
Health care and social assistance	8	6	4
Leisure and hospitality	11	16	10
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	6	5	3
Accommodation and food services	5	11	7
Food services and drinking places	5	9	6
Full-service restaurants	--	4	3
Full-service restaurants	--	4	3
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	4	4	3
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	4	4	3
Other services, except public administration	7	5	3
Other services, except public administration	7	5	3
Government(2)	12	11	7
Local government	12	7	5
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2007. Total may include other industries not shown. (2) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2012 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2014.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State, New York City, District of Columbia, and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Ohio, 2011-2012

Occupation(1)	2011	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	155	154	100
Management occupations	22	21	14
Other management occupations	19	19	12
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	13	14	9
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	13	14	9
Protective service occupations	10	6	4
Food preparation and serving related occupations	1	6	4
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	8	6	4
Grounds maintenance workers	7	4	3
Grounds maintenance workers	7	4	3
Sales and related occupations	8	4	3
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	4	8	5
Agricultural workers	--	7	5
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	--	7	5
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse	--	5	3
Construction and extraction occupations	22	33	21
Construction trades workers	16	25	16
Carpenters	--	4	3
Carpenters	--	4	3
Construction laborers	4	5	3
Construction laborers	4	5	3
Roofers	--	7	5
Roofers	--	7	5
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	11	11	7
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	6	5	3
Production occupations	12	7	5
Transportation and material moving occupations	39	40	26
Motor vehicle operators	27	27	18
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	23	26	17
Driver/sales workers	--	4	3
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	21	21	14
Material moving workers	8	8	5
Laborers and material movers, hand	7	6	4
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	6	6	4
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010. Total may include occupations not shown. (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2012 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2014.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State, New York City, District of Columbia, and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics, Ohio, 2011-2012

Worker characteristics	2011	2012(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	155	154	100
Employee status
Wage and salary(1)	116	114	74
Self-employed(2)	39	40	26
Gender
Men	144	137	89
Women	11	17	11
Age(3)
Under 16 years	--	3	2
18 to 19 years	--	3	2
20 to 24 years	5	9	6
25 to 34 years	17	18	12
35 to 44 years	22	25	16
45 to 54 years	46	37	24
55 to 64 years	43	33	21
65 years and over	20	26	17
Race or ethnic origin(4)
White, non-Hispanic	135	126	82
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	18	16	10
Hispanic or Latino	--	8	5
Asian, non-Hispanic	--	2	1
Footnotes: (1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. (2) Includes self-employed workers, owners of unincorporated businesses and farms, paid and unpaid family workers, and may include some owners of incorporated businesses or members of partnerships. (3) Information may not be available for all age groups. (4) Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. The race categories shown exclude Hispanic and Latino workers. (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2012 data are scheduled to be released in Spring 2014.
NOTE: Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Percentages may not add to totals because of rounding. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatality counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with State, New York City, District of Columbia, and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.