Fatal work injuries totaled 171 in 2021 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 117 in 2020.

Nationwide, a total of 5,190 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2021, a 9-percent increase from 4,764 in 2020, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).

Fatal event or exposure

In Ohio, transportation incidents resulted in 67 fatal work injuries. This was the most frequent fatal event and accounted for 39 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were up from 41 over the year.

Falls, slips, and trips resulted in 34 work-related fatalities, up from 21 in the previous year. Exposure to harmful substances or environments accounted for 27 fatalities, up from 18 in the prior year. Contact with objects or equipment resulted in 25 work-related deaths compared to 28 in 2020.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event in 2021, accounting for 38 percent of fatal work injuries. Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most common fatal event (16 percent), followed by both exposure to harmful substances or environments and violence and other injuries by persons or animals (15 percent each) and contact with objects and equipment (14 percent).

Industry

The private manufacturing industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Ohio with 30, up from 14 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Contacts with objects and equipment resulted in 13 of the 30 fatalities in the industry.

The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had 28 fatal workplace injuries, up from 17 in the previous year. The general freight trucking industry group accounted for 20, or 71 percent, of the fatal injuries in this industry.

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 47. (See table 3.) Heavy and truck-trailer truck drivers accounted for 27 of the 47 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second-highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 23. Construction trades workers suffered 20 of the work-related deaths within the construction and extraction group.

Additional highlights

Men accounted for 94 percent of the work-related fatalities in Ohio, similar to the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 39 percent of the fatalities for men in Ohio.

White, non-Hispanic accounted for 74 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2021, compared to 60 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 60 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2021, compared to 57 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

Of the 171 total fatal work injuries in Ohio, 81 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. Transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event for both groups of workers.

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 fatalities resulting from workplace 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 2021 national data, over 23,900 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 at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm and the CFOI definitions at www.bls.gov/iif/definitions/occupational-safety-and-health-definitions.htm.

Latency Cases. Latent fatal occupational injury cases occur when the date of injury differs from the date of death. In some cases, the death occurs in a different year than the occupational injury and are known as cross-year latent cases. In 2021, there were 197 cases nationally where this occurred, and 174 of these latent cases occurred more than 30 days prior to the start of 2021. For more information on latent cases, see www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-10/latency-in-fatal-occupational-injuries.htm.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. CFOI reports fatal workplace injuries only. These may include fatal workplace injuries complicated by an illness such as COVID-19. Fatal workplace illnesses not precipitated by an injury are not in scope for CFOI. CFOI does not report any illness related information, including COVID-19. Additional information is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-on-workplace-injuries-and-illnesses-compensation-andoccupational-require-ments.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 individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure, Ohio, 2020–21

Event or exposure (1)	2020	2021
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	117	171	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	9	15	9
Intentional injury by person	--	14	8
Animal and insect related incidents	--	1	1
Struck by animal	--	1	1
Transportation incidents	41	67	39
Aircraft incidents	--	1	1
Other in-flight crash	--	1	1
Other in-flight crash into structure, object, or ground	--	1	1
Pedestrian vehicular incident	12	13	8
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in roadway	--	5	3
Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in roadway	--	5	3
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	4	4	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area	1	3	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	22	47	27
Roadway collision with other vehicle	16	21	12
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	--	10	6
Roadway collision--moving and standing vehicle on side of roadway	--	4	2
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	--	18	11
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	--	14	8
Roadway noncollision incident	--	7	4
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	--	3	2
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	7	6	4
Falls, slips, trips	21	34	20
Falls on same level	7	9	5
Falls to lower level	14	23	13
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	18	27	16
Exposure to electricity	5	3	2
Direct exposure to electricity	--	3	2
Exposure to other harmful substances	11	22	13
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose	--	17	10
Inhalation of harmful substance	--	5	3
Inhalation of harmful substance--single episode	--	5	3
Contact with objects and equipment	28	25	15
Struck by object or equipment	16	15	9
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	5	11	6
Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery--other than vehicle part	--	4	2
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	7	10	6
Caught in running equipment or machinery	5	6	4
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/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.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, 2020–21

Industry (1)	2020	2021
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	117	171	100
Private industry (2)	108	160	94
Goods producing	--	--	--
Natural resources and mining	--	20	12
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	13	16	9
Crop production	7	8	5
Oilseed and grain farming	--	1	1
Soybean farming	--	1	1
Animal production and aquaculture	4	8	5
Cattle ranching and farming	--	6	4
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (3)	--	4	2
Mining (except oil and gas)	--	1	1
Coal mining	--	1	1
Coal mining	--	1	1
Construction	22	24	14
Construction	22	24	14
Specialty trade contractors	8	20	12
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	--	11	6
Roofing contractors	--	6	4
Residential roofing contractors	--	1	1
Building equipment contractors	3	4	2
Other specialty trade contractors	--	5	3
Manufacturing	14	30	18
Manufacturing	14	30	18
Wood product manufacturing	2	3	2
Chemical manufacturing	--	3	2
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing	--	4	2
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	3	3	2
Other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	--	1	1
All other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	--	1	1
Cut stone and stone product manufacturing	--	1	1
Primary metal manufacturing	--	4	2
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	3	4	2
Transportation equipment manufacturing	--	4	2
Service providing (4)	--	--	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	--	38	22
Retail trade	6	6	4
Food and beverage stores	--	2	1
Grocery stores	--	2	1
Convenience stores	--	1	1
Nonstore retailers	--	1	1
Direct selling establishments	--	1	1
Fuel dealers	--	1	1
Transportation and warehousing	17	28	16
Truck transportation	12	23	13
General freight trucking	12	20	12
Couriers and messengers	1	1	1
Local messengers and local delivery	--	1	1
Local messengers and local delivery	--	1	1
Information	--	4	2
Information	--	4	2
Professional and business services	--	13	8
Professional, scientific, and technical services	--	5	3
Professional, scientific, and technical services	--	5	3
Specialized design services	--	1	1
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services	--	1	1
Management consulting services	--	1	1
Process, physical distribution, and logistics consulting services	--	1	1
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	10	8	5
Administrative and support services	--	4	2
Services to buildings and dwellings	--	4	2
Landscaping services	--	4	2
Waste management and remediation services	--	4	2
Educational and health services	4	13	8
Educational services	1	2	1
Educational services	1	2	1
Colleges, universities, and professional schools	--	1	1
Colleges, universities, and professional schools	--	1	1
Other schools and instruction	--	1	1
Sports and recreation instruction	--	1	1
Health care and social assistance	3	11	6
Nursing and residential care facilities	--	2	1
Residential intellectual and developmental disability, mental health, and substance abuse facilities	--	1	1
Residential mental health and substance abuse facilities	--	1	1
Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly	--	1	1
Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly	--	1	1
Assisted living facilities for the elderly	--	1	1
Social assistance	--	6	4
Leisure and hospitality	4	8	5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	--	4	2
Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions	--	1	1
Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions	--	1	1
Museums	--	1	1
Accommodation and food services	4	4	2
Other services, except public administration	5	4	2
Other services, except public administration	5	4	2
Repair and maintenance	--	4	2
Government (5)	9	11	6
State government	1	3	2
Local government	8	8	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/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm. Cases where ownership is unknown are included in private industry counts. Cases where industry is unknown are included in the service sector counts. (2) Cases where ownership is unknown are included in private industry counts. (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) Cases where industry is unknown are included in the service sector counts. (5) 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/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.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, 2020–21

Occupation (1)	2020	2021
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	117	171	100
Management occupations	11	19	11
Educational instruction and library occupations	1	2	1
Postsecondary teachers	--	1	1
Math and computer science teachers, postsecondary	--	1	1
Mathematical science teachers, postsecondary	--	1	1
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations	--	2	1
Art and design workers	--	1	1
Designers	--	1	1
Graphic designers	--	1	1
Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers	--	1	1
Actors, producers, and directors	--	1	1
Producers and directors	--	1	1
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations	--	1	1
Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners	--	1	1
Nurse anesthetists	--	1	1
Nurse anesthetists	--	1	1
Healthcare support occupations	--	1	1
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides	--	1	1
Home health and personal care aides; and nursing assistants, orderlies, and psychiatric aides	--	1	1
Nursing assistants, orderlies, and psychiatric aides	--	1	1
Nursing assistants	--	1	1
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	7	11	6
Building cleaning and pest control workers	--	5	3
Building cleaning workers	--	5	3
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners	--	5	3
Grounds maintenance workers	7	6	4
Grounds maintenance workers	7	6	4
Personal care and service occupations	--	4	2
Sales and related occupations	5	5	3
Construction and extraction occupations	20	23	13
Construction trades workers	18	20	12
Construction laborers	13	9	5
Construction laborers	13	9	5
Construction equipment operators	--	1	1
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators	--	1	1
Roofers	1	5	3
Roofers	1	5	3
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	10	12	7
Supervisors of installation, maintenance, and repair workers	--	1	1
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers	--	1	1
First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers	--	1	1
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	1	4	2
Miscellaneous vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	1	1	1
Tire repairers and changers	--	1	1
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	9	7	4
Maintenance and repair workers, general	5	4	2
Maintenance and repair workers, general	5	4	2
Production occupations	9	13	8
Supervisors of production workers	--	3	2
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers	--	3	2
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers	--	3	2
Metal workers and plastic workers	6	3	2
Other production occupations	--	3	2
Transportation and material moving occupations	34	47	27
Air transportation workers	--	1	1
Aircraft pilots and flight engineers	--	1	1
Commercial pilots	--	1	1
Motor vehicle operators	23	35	20
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	--	34	20
Driver/sales workers	--	7	4
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	--	27	16
Passenger vehicle drivers	--	1	1
Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs	--	1	1
Material moving workers	8	11	6
Laborers and material movers	--	6	4
Pumping station operators	--	1	1
Pump operators, except wellhead pumpers	--	1	1
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	--	1	1
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	--	1	1
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/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.htm. Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.
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/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.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, 2020–21

Worker characteristics	2020	2021
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	117	171	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	97	139	81
Self-employed (2)	20	32	19
Gender
Men	105	161	94
Women	12	10	6
Age (3)
25 to 34 years	22	28	16
35 to 44 years	28	32	19
45 to 54 years	22	42	25
55 to 64 years	23	34	20
65 years and over	17	27	16
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	99	126	74
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	--	27	16
Hispanic or Latino	9	11	6
Asian, non-Hispanic	--	4	2
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/definitions/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries-definitions.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.