Fatal work injuries totaled 153 in 2022 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 down 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 5,486 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2022, a 5.7-percent increase from 5,190 in 2021, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).

Fatal event or exposure

In Ohio, transportation incidents resulted in 60 fatal work injuries, accounting for 39 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were down from 67 over the year.

Falls, slips, and trips as well as contact with objects and equipment accounted for 26 fatalities each. Worker fatalities due to falls, slips, and trips were down from 34 over the year, while contact with objects or equipment work-related deaths were up from 25 in 2021.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal event in 2022, accounting for 38 percent of fatal work injuries. Falls, slips, and trips were the second-most common fatal event (16 percent), followed by violence and other injuries by persons or animals along with exposure to harmful substances or environments (15 percent each).

Industry

The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Ohio with 26, down from 28 in the previous year. (See table 2.) Transportation incidents resulted in 17 of the 26 fatalities in the industry. The truck transportation subsector accounted for 21 of the 26 fatal workplace injuries in the transportation and warehousing industry.

The private manufacturing industry sector had 25 fatal workplace injuries, down from 30 in the previous year. Contact with objects or equipment resulted in 10 of the 25 fatalities in the manufacturing industry.

Occupation

The transportation and material moving occupational group had the highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 45. (See table 3.) Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers accounted for 29 of the 45 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second-highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 23, followed by installation, maintenance, and repair occupations with 20. General maintenance and repair workers suffered five work-related deaths within the installation, maintenance, and repair occupational group.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 93 percent of the work-related fatalities in Ohio, similar to the national share. (See table 4.) Transportation incidents made up 40 percent of the fatalities for men in Ohio.
• White non-Hispanics accounted for 76 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 58 percent of work-related deaths.
• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 57 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2022, the same as the national share.
• Of the 153 fatal work injuries in Ohio, 84 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents; contact with objects and equipment was the most frequent fatal event for self-employed 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 2022 national data, over 27,200 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 and the CFOI definitions.

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 Scope of the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries: Concepts.

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 2022, there were 186 cases nationally where this occurred, and 157 of these latent cases occurred more than 30 days prior to the start of 2022. For more information on latent cases, see Understanding latency in fatal occupational injuries.

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 on the Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, Compensation, Occupational Requirements, and Work Stoppages Statistics.

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, 2021–22

Event or exposure (1)	2021	2022
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	171	153	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	15	14	9
Intentional injury by person	14	14	9
Homicides--Intentional injury by other person	--	12	8
Shooting by other person--intentional	--	9	6
Transportation incidents	67	60	39
Pedestrian vehicular incident	13	13	8
Pedestrian struck by vehicle on side of road	--	3	2
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	4	3	2
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	47	40	26
Roadway collision with other vehicle	21	24	16
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	--	8	5
Roadway collision--moving in opposite directions, oncoming	10	6	4
Roadway collision--moving perpendicularly	--	6	4
Roadway collision with object other than vehicle	18	6	4
Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway	14	6	4
Roadway noncollision incident	7	10	7
Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway	3	10	7
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	6	5	3
Fires and explosions	--	6	4
Explosions	--	6	4
Falls, slips, trips	34	26	17
Falls on same level	9	5	3
Falls to lower level	23	21	14
Fall from collapsing structure or equipment	--	4	3
Other fall to lower level	--	13	8
Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet	--	4	3
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	27	21	14
Exposure to electricity	3	4	3
Exposure to other harmful substances	22	13	8
Nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol--unintentional overdose	17	11	7
Contact with objects and equipment	25	26	17
Struck by object or equipment	15	14	9
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	--	4	3
Struck by other falling powered vehicle	--	3	2
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	11	9	6
Struck by object falling from vehicle or machinery--other than vehicle part	4	3	2
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 revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries by industry, Ohio, 2021–22

Industry (1)	2021	2022
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	171	153	100
Private Industry (2)	160	144	94
Goods producing	--	--	--
Natural resources and mining	20	--	--
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	16	11	7
Crop production	8	5	3
Animal production and aquaculture	8	4	3
Construction	24	22	14
Construction	24	22	14
Construction of buildings	--	3	2
Heavy and civil engineering construction	--	4	3
Utility system construction	--	4	3
Specialty trade contractors	20	13	8
Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors	11	6	4
Roofing contractors	6	5	3
Building equipment contractors	4	3	2
Manufacturing	30	25	16
Manufacturing	30	25	16
Food manufacturing	--	3	2
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	3	4	3
Primary metal manufacturing	4	3	2
Machinery manufacturing	--	3	2
Service providing (3)	--	--	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	38	--	--
Wholesale trade	--	8	5
Merchant wholesalers, durable goods	--	4	3
Lumber and other construction materials merchant wholesalers	--	3	2
Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods	--	4	3
Retail trade	6	7	5
Transportation and warehousing	28	26	17
Truck transportation	23	21	14
General freight trucking	20	17	11
General freight trucking, long-distance	--	8	5
Professional and business services	13	19	12
Professional, scientific, and technical services	5	6	4
Professional, scientific, and technical services	5	6	4
Architectural, engineering, and related services	--	3	2
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	8	13	8
Administrative and support services	4	9	6
Investigation and security services	--	3	2
Investigation, guard, and armored car services	--	3	2
Security guards and patrol services	--	3	2
Services to buildings and dwellings	4	5	3
Landscaping services	4	5	3
Waste management and remediation services	4	4	3
Educational and health services	13	4	3
Health care and social assistance	11	4	3
Leisure and hospitality	8	8	5
Accommodation and food services	4	7	5
Food services and drinking places	--	6	4
Other services, except public administration	4	6	4
Other services, except public administration	4	6	4
Repair and maintenance	4	5	3
Automotive repair and maintenance	--	5	3
Government (4)	11	9	6
Local government	8	9	6
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 concepts page at https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm#industry. (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 revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries by occupation, Ohio, 2021–22

Occupation (1)	2021	2022
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	171	153	100
Management occupations	19	10	7
Other management occupations	--	5	3
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	--	4	3
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	--	4	3
Business and financial operations occupations	--	--	--
Protective service occupations	--	9	6
Other protective service workers	--	4	3
Security guards and gambling surveillance officers	--	4	3
Security guards	--	4	3
Food preparation and serving related occupations	--	3	2
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	11	9	6
Grounds maintenance workers	6	8	5
Grounds maintenance workers	6	8	5
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers	--	4	3
Tree trimmers and pruners	--	4	3
Personal care and service occupations	4	2	1
Sales and related occupations	5	4	3
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	--	4	3
Agricultural workers	--	3	2
Miscellaneous agricultural workers	--	3	2
Construction and extraction occupations	23	23	15
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	12	20	13
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	7	11	7
Maintenance and repair workers, general	4	5	3
Maintenance and repair workers, general	4	5	3
Production occupations	13	11	7
Metal workers and plastic workers	3	5	3
Transportation and material moving occupations	47	45	29
Motor vehicle operators	35	39	25
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers	34	37	24
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers	27	29	19
Material moving workers	11	4	3
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 these years, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm#occupation. Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.
NOTE: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, Ohio, 2021–22

Worker characteristics	2021	2022
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	171	153	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	139	128	84
Self-employed (2)	32	25	16
Gender
Men	161	143	93
Women	10	10	7
Age (3)
20 to 24 years	--	8	5
25 to 34 years	28	31	20
35 to 44 years	32	24	16
45 to 54 years	42	32	21
55 to 64 years	34	28	18
65 years and over	27	30	20
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	126	117	76
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	27	20	13
Hispanic or Latino	11	8	5
Asian, non-Hispanic	4	4	3
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 revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.