Fatal work injuries totaled 117 in 2020 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 4,764 fatal work injuries were recorded in 2020, an 11-percent decrease from 5,333 in 2019, according to the results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). The 4,764 fatal occupational injuries in 2020 represents the lowest annual number since 2013.

Fatal event or exposure

In Ohio, transportation incidents resulted in 41 fatal work injuries, and contact with objects or equipment accounted for 28 fatalities. These two major categories accounted for 59 percent of all fatal workplace injuries in the state. (See chart 2 and table 1.) Worker deaths from transportation incidents were down from 63 over the year, and worker fatalities due to contact with objects or equipment were unchanged from the previous year.

Falls, slips, or trips was the third-most frequent fatal work event with 21 fatalities, down from 32 in the prior year. Exposure to harmful substances or environments resulted in 18 work-related deaths compared to 21 in 2019.

Nationally, transportation incidents were the most frequent fatal workplace event in 2020, accounting for 37 percent of fatal work injuries. Falls, slips, and trips was the second-most common fatal event (17 percent).

Industry

The private construction industry sector had the highest number of fatalities in Ohio with 22. (See table 2.) Falls, slips, or trips resulted in 8 of the 22 fatalities in the industry. The specialty trade contractors subsector accounted for 8 of the 22 fatal workplace injuries in the construction industry, and the construction of buildings subsector accounted for 7 fatalities.

The private transportation and warehousing industry sector had 17 fatal workplace injuries, down from 24 in the previous year. The general freight trucking industry group accounted for 12, 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 34. (See table 3.) Motor vehicle operators accounted for 23 of the 34 fatalities among transportation and material moving workers. The construction and extraction occupational group had the second-highest number of fatal workplace injuries with 20. Construction trades workers suffered 18 of the work-related deaths within the construction and extraction group.

Additional highlights

• Men accounted for 90 percent of the work-related fatalities in Ohio, similar to the 92-percent national share. (See table 4.) Contact with objects and equipment made up 27 percent of the fatalities for men in Ohio.

• White non-Hispanics accounted for 85 percent of those who died from a workplace injury. Nationwide, this group accounted for 61 percent of work-related deaths.

• Workers 25-54 years old accounted for 62 percent of the state’s work-related fatalities in 2020, compared to 56 percent of on-the-job fatalities nationally.

• Of the 117 fatal work injuries in Ohio, 83 percent worked for wages and salaries; the remainder were self-employed. The most frequent fatal event for wage and salary workers was transportation incidents. Both transportation incidents and contact with objects and equipment were the most frequent fatal events 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 2020 national data, over 21,600 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/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 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, 2019–20

Event or exposure (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	166	117	100
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals	21	9	8
Transportation incidents	63	41	35
Pedestrian vehicular incident	11	12	10
Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area	5	4	3
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area	--	1	1
Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle	33	22	19
Roadway collision with other vehicle	20	16	14
Roadway collision--moving in same direction	4	7	6
Roadway collision--moving and standing vehicle in roadway	--	4	3
Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicles	8	7	6
Nonroadway noncollision incident	6	7	6
Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway	5	5	4
Falls, slips, trips	32	21	18
Falls on same level	--	7	6
Falls to lower level	24	14	12
Other fall to lower level	20	9	8
Other fall to lower level 6 to 10 feet	3	1	1
Other fall to lower level more than 30 feet	--	1	1
Exposure to harmful substances or environments	21	18	15
Exposure to electricity	6	5	4
Exposure to other harmful substances	12	11	9
Contact with objects and equipment	28	28	24
Struck by object or equipment	15	16	14
Struck by powered vehicle--nontransport	6	8	7
Struck or run over by rolling powered vehicle	--	4	3
Struck by other falling powered vehicle	1	1	1
Struck by falling object or equipment--other than powered vehicle	8	5	4
Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects	5	7	6
Caught in running equipment or machinery	--	5	4
Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning	--	3	3
Compressed or pinched between two stationary objects	--	1	1
Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material	8	5	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/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, 2019–20

Industry (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	166	117	100
Private industry (2)	155	108	92
Goods producing	--	--	--
Natural resources and mining	18	--	--
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	18	13	11
Crop production	9	7	6
Animal production and aquaculture	6	4	3
Construction	--	22	19
Construction	--	22	19
Construction of buildings	--	7	6
Residential building construction	--	3	3
Residential building construction	--	3	3
Residential remodelers	--	1	1
Nonresidential building construction	--	4	3
Specialty trade contractors	--	8	7
Building equipment contractors	--	3	3
Electrical contractors and other wiring installation contractors	--	3	3
Residential electrical contractors and other wiring installation contractors	--	1	1
Manufacturing	--	14	12
Manufacturing	--	14	12
Wood product manufacturing	--	2	2
Sawmills and wood preservation	--	2	2
Sawmills and wood preservation	--	2	2
Sawmills	--	2	2
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing	--	3	3
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	--	3	3
Computer and electronic product manufacturing	--	1	1
Service providing (3)	--	--	--
Trade, transportation, and utilities	46	--	--
Wholesale trade	11	4	3
Retail trade	10	6	5
Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers	--	2	2
Building material and supplies dealers	--	2	2
Home centers	1	2	2
Transportation and warehousing	24	17	15
Truck transportation	18	12	10
General freight trucking	11	12	10
General freight trucking, local	--	7	6
General freight trucking, long-distance	8	5	4
General freight trucking, long-distance, truckload	4	3	3
Support activities for transportation	--	1	1
Support activities for road transportation	--	1	1
Motor vehicle towing	--	1	1
Couriers and messengers	--	1	1
Couriers and express delivery services	--	1	1
Couriers and express delivery services	--	1	1
Professional and business services	10	--	--
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	6	10	9
Educational and health services	--	4	3
Educational services	--	1	1
Educational services	--	1	1
Elementary and secondary schools	--	1	1
Elementary and secondary schools	--	1	1
Health care and social assistance	--	3	3
Hospitals	--	1	1
General medical and surgical hospitals	--	1	1
General medical and surgical hospitals	--	1	1
Leisure and hospitality	13	4	3
Accommodation and food services	9	4	3
Food services and drinking places	9	4	3
Restaurants and other eating places	6	4	3
Restaurants and other eating places	6	4	3
Other services, except public administration	6	5	4
Other services, except public administration	6	5	4
Government (4)	11	9	8
State government	--	1	1
Local government	9	8	7
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, 2019–20

Occupation (1)	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	166	117	100
Management occupations	10	11	9
Other management occupations	9	11	9
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	--	8	7
Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers	--	8	7
Educational instruction and library occupations	--	1	1
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations	7	7	6
Grounds maintenance workers	4	7	6
Grounds maintenance workers	4	7	6
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers	--	3	3
Tree trimmers and pruners	--	4	3
Sales and related occupations	6	5	4
Retail sales workers	3	2	2
Retail salespersons	--	2	2
Retail salespersons	--	2	2
Office and administrative support occupations	--	3	3
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	7	4	3
Construction and extraction occupations	30	20	17
Construction trades workers	26	18	15
Construction laborers	11	13	11
Construction laborers	11	13	11
Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters	--	1	1
Pipelayers	--	1	1
Roofers	3	1	1
Roofers	3	1	1
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	12	10	9
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	3	1	1
Miscellaneous vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers	--	1	1
Other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations	7	9	8
Maintenance and repair workers, general	3	5	4
Maintenance and repair workers, general	3	5	4
Production occupations	12	9	8
Metal workers and plastic workers	6	6	5
Transportation and material moving occupations	50	34	29
Motor vehicle operators	34	23	20
Material moving workers	8	8	7
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.
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, 2019–20

Worker characteristics	2019	2020
	Number	Number	Percent
Total	166	117	100
Employee status
Wage and salary workers (1)	134	97	83
Self-employed (2)	32	20	17
Gender
Men	152	105	90
Women	14	12	10
Age (3)
25 to 34 years	22	22	19
35 to 44 years	28	28	24
45 to 54 years	33	22	19
55 to 64 years	41	23	20
65 years and over	31	17	15
Race or ethnic origin (4)
White, non-Hispanic	140	99	85
Black or African-American, non-Hispanic	15	--	--
Hispanic or Latino	9	9	8
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.