Fatal work injuries totaled 148 in 2013 for Ohio, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that while the 2013 count was preliminary, the number of work-related fatalities in Ohio was 13 fewer than 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 4,405 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2013, down from a revised count of 4,628 fatalities in 2012, according to results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. Final 2013 CFOI data will be released in late spring of 2015.

Of the 148 fatal work injuries reported in Ohio in 2013, 51 resulted from transportation incidents, 33 from falls, slips, or trips, and 30 from contact with objects and equipment. Together these three major categories accounted for more than three-quarters of all workplace fatalities. Other major event categories recorded 23 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 32 deaths. This category accounted for just over one-fifth of all work-related fatalities in the state. In the contact with objects and equipment and category, 21 of the 30 deaths occurred as a result of being struck by an object or equipment. In the falls, slips, or trips category, falls to a lower level accounted for 24 fatalities. (Note that transportation counts presented in this release are expected to rise when updated 2013 data are released in late spring of 2015 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 2013, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. Ohio’s share of fatalities due to this event was smaller at 34 percent. (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, similar to Ohio’s share at 16 percent. Contact with objects and equipment and falls, slips, or trips each accounted for 16 percent of the nation’s workplace fatalities, while in the state, these events were responsible for 20 and 22 percent of workplace fatalities, respectively.

Additional key characteristics:

• The transportation and warehousing industry had the largest number of workplace fatalities with 26, the same as the previous year. Transportation incidents accounted for 15 worker deaths in this industry. (See table 2.)
• The construction industry and the manufacturing industry had the next highest counts with 19 fatalities each. Workplace fatalities in construction were lower than the previous year’s count of 29, while worker deaths in manufacturing were up by 5 compared to the previous year.
• Transportation and material moving occupations had the highest number of fatal work injuries with 39. (See table 3.) The majority of these fatalities were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (25). Workers in construction had the next highest fatality count at 27. Nearly two-thirds (17) were construction trades workers.
• Men accounted for 135, or 91 percent, of the work-related fatalities in the state. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up just over one-third of these fatalities.
• In Ohio, 86 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 91, or just under two-thirds of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2013. Nationally, workers in this group accounted for 60 percent of on-the-job fatalities.
• Of the 148 fatal work injuries in Ohio, 78 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remaining were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for the wages and salaries group was transportation incidents (43), while contact with equipment (10) was the most frequent cause of death in the self-employed group.

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, 2012-2013

Event or exposure(1)	2012(2)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	161	148	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	22	23	16
Intentional injury by person	19	23	16
Intentional injury by other person	15	16	11
Shooting by other person--intentional	12	12	8
Self-inflicted injury--intentional	4	7	5
Transportation incidents	57	51	34
Pedestrian vehicular incident	5	4	3
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	36	32	22
Roadway collision with other vehicle	16	22	15
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	3	5	3
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	4	4	3
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	17	8	5
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	17	7	5
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	13	11	7
Nonroadway noncollision incident	10	9	6
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	6	7	5
Fires and Explosions	5	4	3
Falls, slips, trips	32	33	22
Falls on same level	9	9	6
Falls to lower level	22	24	16
Fall through surface or existing opening	3	4	3
Other fall to lower level	17	18	12
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	10	7	5
Exposure to other harmful substances	3	4	3
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose	3	4	3
Contact with objects and equipment	35	30	20
Struck by object or equipment	18	21	14
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	7	11	7
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	13	4	3
Caught in running equipment or machinery	8	4	3
Engulfment in other collapsing material	1	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. (2) Data for 2012 are revised and final (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released in the late spring 2015.
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.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Ohio, 2012-2013

Industry(1)	2012(2)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	161	148	100
Private industry	148	139	94
Natural resources and mining	22	22	15
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	20	18	12
Crop production	13	16	11
Mining(3)	--	4	3
Construction	29	19	13
Construction	29	19	13
Heavy and civil engineering construction	--	4	3
Specialty trade contractors	20	10	7
Manufacturing	14	19	13
Manufacturing	14	19	13
Trade, transportation, and utilities	41	43	29
Wholesale trade	5	7	5
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	5	5	3
Retail trade	8	10	7
Transportation and warehousing	26	26	18
Truck transportation	21	22	15
Professional and business services	11	10	7
Administrative and waste services	--	9	6
Administrative and support services	9	8	5
Leisure and hospitality	16	12	8
Accommodation and food services	11	9	6
Food services and drinking places	9	8	5
Other services, except public administration	5	8	5
Other services, except public administration	5	8	5
Repair and maintenance	2	5	3
Government(4)	13	9	6
Local government	9	7	5
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2007. Total may include other industries not shown. (2) Data for 2012 are revised and final (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released in the late spring 2015. (3) Includes fatal injuries at all establishments categorized as Mining (Sector 21) in the North American Industry Classification System, including establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in Oil and Gas Extraction. (4) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry.
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.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Ohio, 2012-2013

Occupation(1)	2012(2)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	161	148	100
Management occupations	22	22	15
Other management occupations	20	19	13
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	15	14	9
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	15	14	9
Protective service occupations	6	5	3
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	6	9	6
Grounds maintenance workers	4	5	3
Grounds maintenance workers	4	5	3
Sales and related occupations	5	12	8
Supervisors of sales workers	4	8	5
First-line supervisors of sales workers	4	8	5
First-line supervisors of retail sales workers	4	7	5
Construction and extraction occupations	33	27	18
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	3	4	3
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	--	4	3
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	--	4	3
Construction trades workers	25	17	11
Construction laborers	5	7	5
Construction laborers	5	7	5
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	11	9	6
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	3	5	3
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	5	4	3
Production occupations	9	11	7
Metal workers and plastic workers	--	4	3
Other production occupations	3	4	3
Transportation and material moving occupations	43	39	26
Motor vehicle operators	30	32	22
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	28	30	20
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	23	25	17
Material moving workers	8	5	3
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010. Total may include occupations not shown. (2) Data for 2012 are revised and final (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released in the late spring 2015.
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.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by worker characteristics, Ohio, 2012-2013

Worker characteristics	2012(1)	2013(p)
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	161	148	100
Employee status
Wage and salary(2)	117	115	78
Self-employed(3)	44	33	22
Gender
Men	144	135	91
Women	17	13	9
Age(4)
25 to 34 years	18	23	16
35 to 44 years	25	26	18
45 to 54 years	38	42	28
55 to 64 years	38	36	24
65 years and over	27	18	12
Race or ethnic origin(5)
White, non-Hispanic	134	127	86
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	17	15	10
Footnotes: (1) Data for 2012 are revised and final (p) Data are preliminary. Revised and final 2013 data are scheduled to be released in the late spring 2015. (2) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. (3) 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. (4) Information may not be available for all age groups. (5) Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. The race categories shown exclude Hispanic and Latino workers.
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.