William J. Wahoff
Member
Labor & Employment
J.D. The Ohio State University
A.B. Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
Office:
Columbus, OH
(614) 456-1654
Biography
Bill Wahoff concentrates on keeping his clients in compliance with health and safety laws, including OSHA on a national basis, Ohio workers’ compensation, Ohio VSSR, and intentional tort litigation defense. He has vigorously represented employers at several thousand administrative hearings, in numerous court cases, including jury trials, and mandamus actions. He also has significant experience representing employers in federal and state court employment litigation and in labor negotiations. He has handled ADA, FMLA, and race, gender- based, Title VII discrimination cases, arbitrations, federal and state wage and hour matters, and has bargained with the UAW, Steelworkers, Glass Molders and Potterers, OEA and OAPSE. He served as Membership Development Liaison to the American Bar Association Section on Labor and Employment Law, for its Occupational Safety & Health Committee, and has been an active participant, presenter and moderator for the Midwinter meeting for over 24 years. He was chosen by the Chief Judge to present to the Federal Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission (OSHRC) Judicial Conferences in both 2008 and 2010.
An Ohio State Bar Association Board-Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist, he is also an OSHA Authorized 10 & 30 Hour General Industry Trainer. He is a Fellow of The College of Labor & Employment Lawyers, and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® and Ohio Super Lawyers.
Memberships & Awards
Professional
Fellow, The College of Labor & Employment Lawyers, 2018Peer Review Rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell since 2002Chambers USA America's Leading Lawyers for BusinessThe Best Lawyers in America® Super Lawyers® in Ohio Workers’ Compensation – Employers 2004-2020"Top Lawyer-Workers' Compensation," Columbus CEO Magazine, 2010-2019American Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section, OSHA Committee MemberManagement Co-Editor-in-Chief, Treatise, “Occupational Health and Safety Law, 5th Edition,” ABA Labor & Employment Law Section (OSHA Law Committee)Chapter Editor, Treatise, “Occupational Health and Safety Law, 3rd and 4th Editions,” ABA Labor & Employment Law Section (OSHA Law Committee)United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth CircuitOhio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys (Defense)Chair - Ohio State Bar Association, Workers’ Compensation CommitteeOSHA Committee Past Membership Liaison to Section, ABA-Labor & Employment Law SectionChair and Founder, Employment Law Alliance (ELA) Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) Law Group, formed May, 2020OSHA Authorized 10 & 30 Hour General Industry Course TrainerColumbus and Cincinnati Bar Associations, Workers’ Compensation CommitteesColumbus, Cincinnati, Mahoning County and Marion County, (Ohio) Bar AssociationsOhio State Bar Association Board-Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist, 1999-2019Service Above Self Award, Rotary District 6690Silver Beaver Award Recipient, Simon Kenton Council, Boy Scouts of AmericaIssue Planning Editor for The Ohio State Law Journal
Key Experience
Defended a manufacturer in the rubber and plastics industry in Missouri on Combustible Dust OSHA citations that were vacated
Defended a manufacturer in the rubber mixing industry in Alabama resulting in key OSHA Citations vacated
Defended a manufacturer in the rubber mixing industry in Wisconsin resulting in an Administrative Law Judge ruling vacating the explosion hazard citations regarding a majority of the cited dust collectors and setting forth a method to analyze combustible dust cases scientifically – the first reported decision in the rubber mixing industry since the OSHA National Emphasis Program
Know-How
Alert
Webcast
Work Experience
2015 Steptoe & Johnson PLLC
1995-2015 Scott, Scriven & Wahoff LLP, Founding Partner
1982-1994 Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, Law Clerk (1980), Summer Associate (1981), Associate (1982), Profit Sharing Associate (1989), Equity Partner (1992)
1995-2015 Scott, Scriven & Wahoff LLP, Founding Partner
1982-1994 Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, Law Clerk (1980), Summer Associate (1981), Associate (1982), Profit Sharing Associate (1989), Equity Partner (1992)
Speaking Engagements
Moderator, March 25, 2021, American Bar Association OSH Law Committee Mid-Winter Meeting, Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission(OSHRC) and FMSHRC Commissioners Update, National Annual Conference
Presenter, March 23, 2021, Employment Law Alliance (ELA), OSHA’s New Guidance and National Emphasis Program on COVID-19, WebinarPresenter, March 18, 2021, Ohio State Bar Association, OSHA Update in the New Administration, WebcastOSHA Presenter, December 15, 2020, Employment Law Alliance (ELA), Expectations in Labor & Employment Law in the New Administration, National Webinar
Presenter, November 6, 2020, The Woodlands (Texas) Chamber of Commerce, Return to Work Issues During the COVID-19 Pandemic, WebinarPresenter, October 16, 2020, Ohio State Bar Association, Midwest Labor & Employment Law Conference, OSHA, Workplace Safety and Health in the Time of COVID-19, WebinarPresenter, October 13, 2020, Wooster Chamber of Commerce, NLRA, Protests and COVID-19, WebinarPresenter, September 16, 2020, Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Back to School: Rights and Responsibilities of Employers and Employees, with Additional COVID-19 Updates, WebinarPresenter, July 29, 2020, Return to Work under COVID-19, National Webinar, Steptoe & Johnson PLLCModerator, June 17, 2020, Ohio Chamber of Commerce, NLRA, Protests and Return to Work, WebinarPresenter, June 11, 2020, Marcellus Shale Coalition, Return to Work and COVID-19, WebinarPresenter, May 7, 2020, Mapping Out the New Normal, National Webinar, Steptoe & Johnson PLLCPresenter, May 6, 2020, Employment Law Alliance (ELA), COVID-19 Plans Considering OSHA Guidance, National WebinarModerator, March 5, 2020, American Bar Association OSH Law Committee Mid-Winter meeting, Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission(OSHRC) and FMSHRC Commissioners Update, Rancho Mirage, CaliforniaPresenter and Panelist, January 17, 2020, Ohio Self-Insurers’ Association, OSHA Update, including LOTO, Machine Guarding, and the General Duty Clause, Columbus, OhioPresenter, July 17, 2019, Association of Rubber Products Manufacturers National Safety Summit, “The Relationship of OSHA Proposed Penalty Cases and the Lockout/Tagout and Machine Guarding Standards,” Columbus, OhioPresenter/Panelist, March 7, 2019, American Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section, Occupational Safety & Health Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, “OSHA Recordability, Reportability and Impact on Workers’ Compensation: The Interplay between OSHA’s Amended 29 CFR 1904.35 and Workers’ Compensation Laws and Administration,” Breakout Session, San Juan, Puerto RicoPresenter, December 5, 2018, Phylmar Regulatory Roundtable Webinar, “Federal OSHA ‘Clarification’ of Drug Testing and Corporate Incentive Programs,” Sacramento, California
Moderator, July 25, 2018, Ohio Chamber Webinar, “Update on Labor Issues Under the Trump Administration,” Columbus, OhioPresenter, June 20, 2018, Ohio Chamber Webinar, “OSHA’s Agenda Under the New Acting Assistant Secretary,” Columbus, OhioPresenter, April 11, 2018, Energy and Mineral Law Foundation, “OSHA’s Process Safety Management (PSM) Standard,” Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Presenter, March 2, 2018, American Bar Association, Occupational Safety & Health Law Committee Midwinter Meeting, “The General Duty Clause: How Does OSHA Prove Its Case and What Role Do Industry Standards Play?,” General Session, Santa Monica, California
Presenter, January 17, 2018, Lorman Webinar, “Medical Records Law (such as HIPAA) in Workers’ Compensation Claims: Know What You Can Release”
Presenter, December 5, 2017, Ohio Chamber of Commerce, “10 Management Mistakes to Avoid,” Medina, Ohio
Presenter, November 16, 2017, NBI, “Seven Ways the Ohio Workers’ Compensation System Differs from Those of Other States,” Cincinnati, Ohio
Presenter, August 1, 2017, NBI, “Ohio Workers’ Compensation Coverage and Differences from Insurance States,” Cincinnati, OhioPresenter, July 19, 2017, Association of Rubber Products Manufacturers National Safety Summit, “HazCom Enforcement in the First 180 days of the New Administration,” Columbus, OhioPresenter, July 12, 2017, Ohio Chamber of Commerce Webinar, “OSHA Requirements for Confined Spaces in General Industry and Construction”Presenter, June 30, 2017, Ohio Chamber of Commerce, “10 Management Mistakes to Avoid,” Port Clinton, OhioPresenter, June 13, 2017, Ohio Hospital Association Annual Conference, “New Landscape of the Department of Labor and OSHA in the Trump Administration,” Columbus, OhioPresenter, May 31, 2017, Phylmar Business Roundtable National Safety Webinar, “Future of OSHA Interpretations after the D.C. Circuit’s Agricultural Retailers PSM Decision”Presenter, May 17, 2017, Ohio Chamber of Commerce Webinar, “Recordability, Reportability and Compensability”Presenter, March 15, 2017, Ohio Chamber of Commerce, “10 Management Mistakes to Avoid,” St. Clairsville, OhioModerator, March 10, 2017, American Bar Association, OSH Committee Midwinter Meeting, “OSHA Interpretations after Agricultural Retailers,” Jupiter, FloridaPresenter, February 23, 2017, Webinar, Association of Rubber Products Manufacturers, “OSHA Record Keeping”Presenter, January 17, 2017, Webinar, Ohio Chamber of Commerce, “Medical Releases and Workers’ Compensation”Presenter, October 19, 2016, Robotics Industries Association, “OSHA Standards versus Robotics Standards,” CincinnatiPresenter, September 16, 2016, Ohio State Bar Association, “Hot Wage and Hour Issues,” ClevelandPresenter, September 14, 2016, Webinar, Ohio Chamber of Commerce, “OSHA’s Rules Regarding Employee Incentive Programs”Presenter, July 14, 2016, “FLSA and OSHA Regulatory Changes,” Ohio Chamber of Commerce: Marietta, May 24, 2016, Pataskala, June 21, 2016, Urbana, Champaign CountyPresenter, June 13, 2016, “OSHA’s Multi-Employer and U.S. Department of Labor Joint Employee Doctrines,” Ohio Hospital Association Annual ConferencePresenter, June 8, 2016, “Privacy In The Workplace and Employee Monitoring,” Human Resources from A to Z, NBI Seminar, ColumbusPresenter, May 25, 2016, “Train Your Supervisors About Your Ohio Workers’ Compensation Program,” Ohio Chamber of Commerce WebinarPresenter, May 17, 2016, “OSHA’s New Rules Regarding Worker Safety Incentive Programs,” Phylmar Regulatory Roundtable and the BioPharma EHS Forum, WebcastAuthor, April 26, 2016, "OSHA Update", Steptoe & Johnsom Blog ArticleModerator, March 10, 2016, “New Developments In Process Safety Management,” ABA Labor & Employment Law Section, Occupational Safety & Health Committee Midwinter Meeting, Santa Barbara, CAAuthor, March 3, 2016, IN COMPLIANCE? Be prepared! FLSA rule changes and OSHA penalty increases will happen in 2016Presenter, November 18, 2015, “FLSA and OSHA Changes,” Ohio Chamber of Commerce, WebcastPresenter, August 18, 2015, “Creating FLSA Compliance Strategies That Work,” NBIPresenter, December 4, 2014, “Significant Decisions,” Cincinnati Bar Association Advanced Workers’ Compensation SeminarPresenter, October 2014, “Workers’ Compensation Update: Laws & Rules, Class Action Suit, Medical Facilities, and Claims Handling; OSHA Recordkeeping Changes,” HRA of Southwestern Ohio (SHRM Affiliate), Wilmington, OhioPresenter, February 2014, “The Top 5 Safety & Health Considerations Upon Entering An Investigative Site” (from the OSHA perspective), Insurance Fraud/Fire Investigators’ Joint SeminarPresenter, December 2013, “Significant [Workers’ Compensation] Decisions,” Cincinnati Bar Association, Workers’ Compensation Committee Advanced SeminarPresenter Hot Topics in Employment Law, 2013, “PPACA/Obamacare: What Businesses Need to Know,” Sterling Education SeminarsModerator, 2013, "Significant [OSHA] Decisions,” American Bar Association, Labor & Employment Section, OSHA Committee, Mid-Winter MeetingPresenter, 2010-2012, “The Finer Points of OSHA Recordkeeping,” “Injury & Illness Prevention Programs,” “Combustible Dust,” “Retaliation and Whistleblower Statutes Under OSHA’s Enforcement Jurisdiction,” Association of Rubber & Plastics Manufacturers’ (ARPM) Safety SummitPresenter, 2011, “Intentional Tort, RICO Liability, and Other Third Party Actions,” Ohio Self-Insurers Association, Workers’ Compensation Education DayPresenter, 2010-2011, “Combustible Dust,” Annual Ohio Workplace Safety & OSHA Compliance Conference