Fatal work injuries totaled 164 in 2016 for Ohio, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Charlene Peiffer noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Ohio was down from 202 in 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 total of 5,190 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2016, a 7-percent increase from the 4,836 fatal injuries in 2015, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. This was the third consecutive increase in annual workplace fatalities and the first time more than 5,000 fatalities have been recorded since 2008.

Type of incident

In Ohio, transportation incidents resulted in 54 fatal work injuries. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals accounted for 31 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 52 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) Over the year, the number of worker deaths from transportation incidents decreased from 92, while fatalities due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals were up from 27.

Falls, slips, or trips was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 29 fatalities, unchanged from the prior year. Exposure to harmful substances or environments resulted in 25 work-related deaths compared to 23 in 2015.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2016, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Violence and other injuries by persons or animals was the second-most common fatal event (17 percent), followed by falls, slips, or trips (16 percent).

Industry

The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Ohio with 32, down by 4 from the previous year. (See table 2.) The most frequent fatal workplace event in the sector was transportation incidents with 16 worker deaths, followed by exposure to harmful substances or environments with 7 fatalities. Eighty-one percent of those fatally injured in this sector worked in truck transportation.

The private construction industry sector had 23 workplace fatalities, down from 37 in the previous year. The specialty trade contractor industry accounted for 14, or 61 percent, of the fatal injuries in this sector.

Occupation

Transportation and material moving occupations and construction and extraction occupations had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 49 and 21, respectively. (See table 3.) The majority of the fatalities within the transportation and material moving occupations were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (28). Construction trades workers accounted for most of the fatalities among construction and extraction workers with 18 fatalities.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 91 percent of the work-related fatalities in Ohio, compared to the 93-percent national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 33 percent of the fatalities for men in Ohio.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 84 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 67 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 55 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2016, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.
• Of the 164 fatally-injured workers in Ohio, 76 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents; for self-employed workers the most frequent fatal event was contact with objects and equipment.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the BLS Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program, compiles a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. The CFOI program uses diverse state, federal, and independent data sources to identify, verify, and describe fatal work injuries. This ensures counts are as complete and accurate as possible.  For the 2016 national data, over 23,300 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical information and definitions for CFOI, please go to the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm.

Federal/State agency coverage. The CFOI includes data for all fatal work injuries, even those that may be outside the scope of other agencies or 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. More on the scope of CFOI can be found at www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.htm.

Acknowledgments. BLS thanks the Ohio BWC Division of Safety and Hygiene for their efforts in collecting accurate, comprehensive, and useful data on fatal work injuries. BLS also appreciates the efforts of all federal, state, local, and private sector entities that provided source documents used to identify fatal work injuries. Among these agencies are the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; the National Transportation Safety Board; the U.S. Coast Guard; the Mine Safety and Health Administration; the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (Federal Employees' Compensation and Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation divisions); the Federal Railroad Administration; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; state vital statistics registrars, coroners, and medical examiners; state departments of health, labor, and industrial relations and workers' compensation agencies; state and local police departments; and state farm bureaus.

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, 2015–16

Event or exposure (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	202	164	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	27	31	19
Intentional injury by person	25	30	18
Homicides (Intentional injury by other person)	17	13	8
Shooting by other person--intentional	14	12	7
Suicides (Self-inflicted injury--intentional)	8	17	10
Shooting--intentional self-harm	4	6	4
Hanging, strangulation, asphyxiation--intentional self-harm	2	7	4
Transportation incidents	92	54	33
Pedestrian vehicular incident	14	11	7
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	55	31	19
Roadway collision with other vehicle	33	15	9
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	8	6	4
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	18	12	7
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	18	11	7
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	10	10	6
Nonroadway noncollision incident	7	7	4
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	4	5	3
Falls, slips, trips	29	29	18
Falls on same level	5	6	4
Falls to lower level	21	23	14
Other fall to lower level	17	17	10
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	23	25	15
Exposure to other harmful substances	15	17	10
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose	11	17	10
Contact with objects and equipment	29	24	15
Struck by object or equipment	23	16	10
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	11	10	6
Footnotes: (1) Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. 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. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Ohio, 2015–16

Industry (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	202	164	100
Private industry	191	155	95
Natural resources and mining	22	19	12
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	18	19	12
Crop production	13	11	7
Animal production and aquaculture	3	5	3
Construction	37	23	14
Construction	37	23	14
Heavy and civil engineering construction	11	5	3
Specialty trade contractors	21	14	9
Building finishing contractors	--	5	3
Manufacturing	19	14	9
Manufacturing	19	14	9
Trade, transportation, and utilities	55	42	26
Retail trade	11	8	5
Transportation and warehousing	36	32	20
Truck transportation	25	26	16
General freight trucking	15	22	13
General freight trucking, local	1	6	4
General freight trucking, long-distance	12	16	10
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	5	13	8
Professional and business services	16	16	10
Administrative and waste services	14	13	8
Administrative and support services	11	9	5
Services to buildings and dwellings	7	7	4
Landscaping services	6	7	4
Educational and health services	9	9	5
Health care and social assistance	9	8	5
Leisure and hospitality	13	16	10
Accommodation and food services	9	12	7
Food services and drinking places	8	11	7
Restaurants and other eating places	6	9	5
Restaurants and other eating places	6	9	5
Limited-service restaurants	5	7	4
Other services, except public administration	13	11	7
Other services, except public administration	13	11	7
Repair and maintenance	7	6	4
Government (2)	11	9	5
Local government	7	7	4
Footnotes: (1) Industry data are based on the North American Industry Classification System, 2012. (2) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. 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. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Ohio, 2015–16

Occupation (1)	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	202	164	100
Management occupations	22	16	10
Other management occupations	22	14	9
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	13	12	7
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	13	12	7
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	8	5	3
Protective service occupations	8	7	4
Law enforcement workers	2	5	3
Police officers	2	5	3
Police and sheriff's patrol officers	2	5	3
Food preparation and serving related occupations	2	5	3
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	10	12	7
Grounds maintenance workers	4	9	5
Grounds maintenance workers	4	9	5
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers	2	5	3
Sales and related occupations	13	11	7
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	5	5	3
Construction and extraction occupations	33	21	13
Construction trades workers	26	18	11
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	12	11	7
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	5	5	3
Production occupations	13	10	6
Metal workers and plastic workers	6	5	3
Transportation and material moving occupations	63	49	30
Motor vehicle operators	51	34	21
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	47	33	20
Driver/sales workers	10	5	3
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	35	28	17
Material moving workers	10	12	7
Laborers and material movers, hand	7	6	4
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	6	5	3
Footnotes: (1) Occupation data are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, 2010.
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. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Ohio, 2015–16

Worker characteristics	2015	2016
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	202	164	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	152	124	76
Self-employed (2)	50	40	24
Gender
Men	180	150	91
Women	22	14	9
Age (3)
20 to 24 years	13	9	5
25 to 34 years	27	32	20
35 to 44 years	37	24	15
45 to 54 years	57	34	21
55 to 64 years	39	31	19
65 years and over	27	31	19
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	170	138	84
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	16	12	7
Hispanic or Latino	11	10	6
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.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. 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. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria.