COLUMBUS, Ohio—Workplace safety is again paying off for Ohio employers, as state officials on Monday announced workers’ compensation premiums have again hit a decades-long low.

Private employers will see their average premium rate drop by 7% as of July 1, saving them a total of $67 million compared what they paid last year, according to the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation. Public employers will also see an average drop of 3.9%,, which will reduce their payments by a total of $4 million, a BWC release stated.

The exact cost difference each of the 257,000 participating private and public employers will see this year will vary, based on factors such as the number of their employees who filed workers’ compensation claims in recent years and their participation in various rebate programs.

But on average, private employers in the Buckeye State are now paying 68% less than they did in 2011 to participate in the state’s workers’ compensation program, which covers health care and wages for injured workers, as well as a state program to improve workplace safety, according to the release. Average premium rates for public employers have fallen by more than 57% during that same period.

Average BWC rates were already at their lowest in at least 40 years even before this year’s rates took effect, state officials previously said.

As with previous years, the reason average premiums dropped this year is because of fewer workplace injuries and the cost of medical care didn’t rise as much as expected, according to the BWC.

“I applaud Ohio’s employers who have adopted a culture of workplace safety, which is what allows us to continue these rate reductions,” Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement.

Jeremy Pelzer covers state politics and policy for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.