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Eric J. Conn
Chair, OSHA  Workplace Safety Practice Group 
econn@connmaciel.com
(O) 202.909.2737 | (M) 617.256.8666


5335 Wisconsin Avenue NW • Suite 660
Washington DC 20015

Eric J. Conn is a founding partner of Conn Maciel Carey and Chair of the firm’s national OSHA • Workplace Safety Practice Group. His practice focuses exclusively on issues involving occupational safety and health law.  Before launching his own OSHA Practice, Eric practiced for more than a decade alongside the former first General Counsel of the OSH Review Commission.

 

Eric and his OSHA Team at Conn Maciel Carey develop safety and health regulatory strategies for employers across all industries with a particular emphasis in:

 

  • Advising and representing clients in relation to inspections, investigations and enforcement actions involving the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), and state and local regulators.

  • Managing the full range of litigation against OSHA, including appeals of citations, negotiations of settlements geared to minimize the impact of enforcement actions on wrongful death and personal injury civil cases, and trials before the OSH Review Commission.

  • Representing employers during U.S. Attorney criminal investigations and prosecutions of alleged OSH Act criminal violations.

  • Advising employers’ other attorneys in civil cases stemming from workplace accidents about the overlapping OSHA regulatory issues.

  • Counseling clients through catastrophic industrial, construction, and manufacturing workplace accidents, including explosions and chemical releases.

  • Developing and auditing safety programs and policies.

  • Providing workplace safety training and compliance counseling for employers.

 

Eric is extremely proud to have presided over Conn Maciel Carey’s national OSHA Practice when it was recognized as one of only three “Band 1” Rated OSHA Law Firms by Chambers USA in 2022 (the first year that Chambers ranked the OSHA Law category).  In that same ranking, Eric was individually recognized as one of only nine Band 1 rated OSHA law practitioners nationwide.  Prior to that, Eric was Head of an OSHA Practice at a prior firm that was honored as the “Occupational Health & Safety Law Firm of the Year” by Corporate INTL Magazine in its 2014 Global Awards.  In 2013 and 2014, he was named a “Rising Star” by Washington, DC Super Lawyers, and as a Super Lawyer every year since. He has also been selected for inclusion in the Washington Post’s Top-Rated Lawyers list in Washington, DC.

 

Eric is a prolific writer on all topics OSHA related. He is the curator of Conn Maciel Carey’s award-winning OSHA Defense Report blog, and previously edited a popular OSHA law blog at another firm.  He has authored multiple chapters in OSHA treatises, including “OSHA Inspections” in the Occupational Safety and Health Law Handbook, 2nd ed. (Gov’t. Institutes, 2008), and “Defending Against the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Increasingly Severe Enforcement Practices” in Complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Act: Leading Lawyers (Aspatore, Inside the Minds, 2012).

 

Eric is also a popular speaker on OSHA and related legal issues, including as the producer of

Conn Maciel Carey’s annual OSHA Webinar Series, and regular keynotes trade group and industry

conferences.  He is often quoted as a leader in the field in trade publications.

 

Eric created and curates the OSHA Defense Report Group on LinkedIn, and can be found on

twitter as @OSHA_Guy.

 

Eric lives in the Washington, DC area with his wife and two young children.

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Conn Articles
Conn News
Conn Speeches
In the News

Eric is frequently quoted as an authority by the media. A selection of recent articles

can be found here.

Speech Topics

OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program

OSHA’s Temporary Worker Initiative

Preparing for and Managing OSHA Inspections

Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program

Injury & Illness Recordkeeping Training and Enforcement Update

Today’s OSHA​

  • What Grain Handlers Need to Know

  • What Chemical Manufacturers and Petroleum Refiners Need to Know

  • What Retailers Needs to Know

  • What the Hospitality Industry Needs to Know

  • What Healthcare Companies and Medical Practices Need to Know

  • What Construction Employers Need to Know

  • What Grocers Need to Know

  • What Manufacturers Need to Know

  • What Hotel Operators Need to Know

Overview of Key Health & Safety Issues at OSHA

Mitigating Safety and Health Risks

OSHA’s Emphasis on Enterprise-Wide Enforcement

PSM Enforcement Update for Chemical/Petrochemical Manufactures & Refiners

OSHA Inspections: You Are Next – Preparation, Rights, Obligations

OSHA, Discrimination & Our Nation’s Aging Workforce

OSHA’s Regulatory Agenda, PSM NEP, Hurricane Preparation & Spill Response

More than You Ever Wanted to Know about OSHA (Beginner’s Guide to OSHA)

Forecasting Top OSHA Issues under a New Administration or in a New Year

And many other OSHA • Workplace Safety topics

Prime Events

Ohio AgriBusiness Association Industry Conference

Retail Industry Leaders Association's (RILA) Workplace Safety Committee

Retail Industry Leaders Association's (RILA) Asset Protection Conference

American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers’ (AFPM) National Occupational and Process Safety Conference

Safety Connect Virtual Safety Conference & Expo

National Grocers Association Government Relations Committee

Process Safety and Reliability Group's PSM Forum

Education

J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, with honors, 2000

Virginia Law Review 

Pro se clerk at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

B.A., University of Virginia, 1997

Bar Admissions

District of Columbia

Massachusetts

Michigan

Texas

Court Admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Memberships

American Bar Association, Occupational Safety and Health Law Committee 

Conn Education
Conn Admissions
Conn Events
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OSHA Defense
Report Blog

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OSHA Webinar Series

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OSHA Injury and Illness Recordkeeping & Reporting Masterclass

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