Fatal work injuries totaled 166 in 2019 for Ohio, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that the number of work-related fatalities in Ohio was up from the previous year. (See chart 1.) Fatal occupational injuries in the state have ranged from a high of 222 in 1999 to a low of 137 in 2009.

Nationwide, a total of 5,333 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2019, a 2-percent increase from the 5,250 in 2018, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. The 5,333 fatal occupational injuries in 2019 represents the largest annual number since 2007.

Fatal event or exposure

In Ohio, transportation incidents resulted in 63 fatal work injuries, and falls, slips, and trips accounted for 32 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 57 percent of all workplace fatalities in the state. (See table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 60 over the year, and worker fatalities due to falls, slips, and trips were up from 22.

Contact with objects or equipment was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 28 fatalities compared to 27 in the prior year. Violence and other injuries by persons or animals resulted in 21 work-related deaths, down from 25 in 2018.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2019, accounting for 40 percent of fatal work injuries. (See chart 2.) Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most common fatal event (17 percent), followed by violence and other injuries by persons or animals (16 percent).

Industry

The private transportation and warehousing industry had the highest number of fatalities in Ohio with 24. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents resulted in 22 of the 24 fatalities in the industry. The truck transportation sector accounted for 18 of the 24 workplace fatalities in the transportation and warehousing industry.

The private agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry had 18 workplace fatalities. The crop production sector accounted for nine, or 50 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of workplace fatalities with 50. (See table 3.) Motor vehicle operators accounted for 34 of the 50 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second-highest number of workplace fatalities with 30. Construction trades workers suffered 26 of the work-related deaths within the construction and extraction group.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 92 percent of the work-related fatalities in Ohio, similar to the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 35 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 62 percent of work-related deaths.

• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 50 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2019, compared to 55 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

• Of the 166 fatal work injuries in Ohio, 81 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, both transportation incidents and contact with objects and equipment were the most frequent fatal events.

Technical Note

Background of the program. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program, is a count of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. The CFOI uses a variety of 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 2019 national data, over 25,100 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical information and definitions for the CFOI, see the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm and the CFOI definitions at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm.

Federal/State agency coverage. The CFOI includes data for all fatal work injuries, some of which may be outside the scope of other agencies or regulatory coverage. Comparisons between CFOI counts and those released by other agencies should account for the different coverage requirements and definitions used by each agency. For more information on the scope of CFOI, see www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.htm and www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.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, 2018–19

Event or exposure (1)	2018	2019
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	158	166	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	25	21	13
Intentional injury by person	25	19	11
Intentional injury by other person	16	14	8
Shooting by other person--intentional	14	9	5
Stabbing, cutting, slashing, piercing	--	2	1
Self-inflicted injury--intentional	9	5	3
Hanging, strangulation, asphyxiation--intentional self-harm	5	4	2
Transportation incidents	60	63	38
Aircraft incidents	2	11	7
Other in-flight crash	2	9	5
Other in-flight crash due to mechanical failure	--	2	1
Other in-flight crash into structure, object, or ground	2	7	4
Pedestrian vehicular incident	13	11	7
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in work zone	4	3	2
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in work zone	3	3	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle on side of road	--	1	1
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle on side of road	--	1	1
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	6	5	3
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in nonroadway area	--	3	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	39	33	20
Roadway collision with other vehicle	26	20	12
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	10	4	2
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	5	9	5
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	11	5	3
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	10	11	7
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	10	7	4
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	5	8	5
Nonroadway noncollision incident	5	6	4
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	4	5	3
Fires and explosions	1	--	--
Falls, slips, trips	22	32	19
Falls to lower level	19	24	14
Fall through surface or existing opening	3	4	2
Other fall to lower level	15	20	12
Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet	--	3	2
Other fall to lower level 11 to 15 feet	--	7	4
Other fall to lower level 26 to 30 feet	--	1	1
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	22	21	13
Exposure to electricity	4	6	4
Direct exposure to electricity	--	3	2
Indirect exposure to electricity	3	3	2
Indirect exposure to electricity, greater than 220 volts	3	3	2
Exposure to temperature extremes	--	3	2
Exposure to environmental heat	--	3	2
Exposure to other harmful substances	17	12	7
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose	15	12	7
Contact with objects and equipment	27	28	17
Struck by object or equipment	20	15	9
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	6	6	4
Struck by other falling powered vehicle	--	1	1
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	12	8	5
Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery--other than vehicle part	7	3	2
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	5	5	3
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	--	8	5
Overexertion and bodily reaction	--	--	--
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. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Ohio, 2019

Industry (1)	Number	Percent
Total	166	100
Private industry (2)	155	93
Goods producing	--	--
Natural resources and mining	18	11
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	18	11
Crop production	9	5
Oilseed and grain farming	6	4
Corn farming	3	2
Animal production and aquaculture	6	4
Cattle ranching and farming	3	2
Dairy cattle and milk production	3	2
Construction	--	--
Service providing (3)	--	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	46	28
Utilities	1	1
Utilities	1	1
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution	1	1
Electric power generation	1	1
Fossil fuel electric power generation	1	1
Wholesale trade	11	7
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	4	2
Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers	1	1
Industrial machinery and equipment merchant wholesalers	1	1
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	7	4
Retail trade	10	6
Motor vehicle and parts dealers	2	1
Automobile dealers	1	1
Automotive parts, accessories, and tire stores	1	1
Automotive parts and accessories stores	1	1
Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers	--	--
Building material and supplies dealers	--	--
Home centers	1	1
Food and beverage stores	3	2
Grocery stores	3	2
Clothing and clothing accessories stores	1	1
Clothing stores	1	1
Transportation and warehousing	24	14
Truck transportation	18	11
General freight trucking	11	7
General freight trucking, long-distance	8	5
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	4	2
Specialized freight trucking	6	4
Specialized freight (except used goods) trucking, long-distance	4	2
Financial activities	--	--
Real estate and rental and leasing	3	2
Professional and business services	10	6
Professional, scientific, and technical services	4	2
Professional, scientific, and technical services	4	2
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services	1	1
Environmental consulting services	1	1
Other professional, scientific, and technical services	1	1
Photographic services	1	1
Photography studios, portrait	1	1
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	6	4
Administrative and support services	6	4
Educational and health services	--	--
Leisure and hospitality	13	8
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	4	2
Accommodation and food services	9	5
Food services and drinking places	9	5
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	2	1
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	2	1
Restaurants and other eating places	6	4
Restaurants and other eating places	6	4
Limited-service restaurants	2	1
Other services, except public administration	6	4
Other services, except public administration	6	4
Repair and maintenance	5	3
Automotive repair and maintenance	4	2
Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance	1	1
Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance	1	1
Personal and laundry services	1	1
Drycleaning and laundry services	1	1
Coin-operated laundries and drycleaners	1	1
Government (4)	11	7
Federal government	--	--
State government	--	--
Local government	9	5
Footnotes: (1) CFOI has used several versions of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) since 2003 to define industry. For complete information on the version of NAICS used in this year, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. (2) Cases where ownership is unknown are included in private industry counts. (3) Cases where industry is unknown are included in the service sector counts. (4) Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. Cases classified as foreign government and other government are included in all government counts, but not displayed separately.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Ohio, 2019

Occupation (1)	Number	Percent
Total	166	100
Management occupations	10	6
Top executives	1	1
Chief executives	1	1
Chief executives	1	1
Other management occupations	9	5
Business and financial operations occupations	--	--
Computer and mathematical occupations	--	--
Architecture and engineering occupations	--	--
Life, physical, and social science occupations	--	--
Community and social service occupations	--	--
Legal occupations	--	--
Educational instruction and library occupations	--	--
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	--	--
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	5	3
Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners	5	3
Healthcare support occupations	--	--
Protective service occupations	6	4
Firefighting and prevention workers	1	1
Law enforcement workers	3	2
Police officers	3	2
Food preparation and serving related occupations	8	5
Food and beverage serving workers	1	1
Fast food and counter workers	1	1
Fast food and counter workers	1	1
Other food preparation and serving related workers	3	2
Miscellaneous food preparation and serving related workers	3	2
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	7	4
Supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	1	1
First-line supervisors of building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers	1	1
First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers	1	1
Grounds maintenance workers	4	2
Grounds maintenance workers	4	2
Personal care and service occupations	--	--
Sales and related occupations	6	4
Retail sales workers	3	2
Office and administrative support occupations	--	--
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	7	4
Construction and extraction occupations	30	18
Supervisors of construction and extraction workers	4	2
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	4	2
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers	4	2
Construction trades workers	26	16
Brickmasons, blockmasons, and stonemasons	1	1
Brickmasons and blockmasons	1	1
Carpenters	3	2
Carpenters	3	2
Cement masons, concrete finishers, and terrazzo workers	1	1
Cement masons and concrete finishers	1	1
Construction laborers	11	7
Construction laborers	11	7
Roofers	3	2
Roofers	3	2
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	12	7
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	3	2
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	7	4
Maintenance and repair workers, general	3	2
Maintenance and repair workers, general	3	2
Production occupations	12	7
Metal workers and plastic workers	6	4
Welding, soldering, and brazing workers	2	1
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers	1	1
Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders	1	1
Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers	1	1
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers	1	1
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers	1	1
Other production occupations	3	2
Transportation and material moving occupations	50	30
Air transportation workers	8	5
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	8	5
Commercial pilots	8	5
Motor vehicle operators	34	20
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	32	19
Driver/sales workers	3	2
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	24	14
Light truck drivers	5	3
Passenger vehicle drivers	2	1
Bus drivers, school	2	1
Material moving workers	8	5
Laborers and material movers	5	3
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand	3	2
Military specific occupations (2)	--	--
Footnotes: (1) CFOI has used several versions of the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) system since 2003 to define occupation. For complete information on the version of SOC used in this year, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total. (2) Includes fatal injuries to persons identified as resident armed forces regardless of individual occupation listed.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Ohio, 2018–19

Worker characteristics	2018	2019
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	158	166	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	124	134	81
Self-employed (2)	34	32	19
Gender
Men	146	152	92
Women	12	14	8
Age (3)
20 to 24 years	10	8	5
25 to 34 years	23	22	13
35 to 44 years	31	28	17
45 to 54 years	37	33	20
55 to 64 years	35	41	25
65 years and over	20	31	19
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	120	140	84
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	22	15	9
Hispanic or Latino	11	9	5
Asian, non-Hispanic	4	1	1
Footnotes: (1) May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. Cases where employment status is unknown are included in the counts of wage and salary workers. (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 data for Hispanics and Latinos. Cases where ethnicity is unknown are included in counts of non-Hispanic workers.
NOTE: Data for all years are final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. For complete information on how the data are coded and presented see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.