Conor H. Meeks

Conor has vast experience representing employers in occupational safety and health matters, including advising on day-to-day compliance issues as well as defending enforcement actions by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or equivalent state agencies across many industries. He has defended hundreds of OSHA inspections and citations, including dozens of cases involving fatalities and other serious injuries, and assisted clients in all phases of OSHA enforcement proceedings.  Conor has nationwide experience working directly with OSHA or equivalent state agencies to resolve citations informally, as well as representing employers in contesting citations before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission and equivalent state review commissions.  Additionally, Conor has represented employers in defending OSHA investigations of retaliation complaints pursuant to the various federal whistleblower statutes enforced by OSHA.

Conor has experience in a wide variety of OSHA matters in both general industry and construction, including but not limited to fall protection; machine guarding; lockout/tagout (LOTO);  process safety management (PSM); trenching and excavation; underground construction; confined spaces, including permit required; aerial lifts; powered industrial trucks; cranes; electrical safety (including design and protective measures); electric power generation, transmission, and distribution; arc flash; combustion and explosion hazards; explosives manufacturing; fire prevention and protection; dust hazards; the hazard communication standard (HCS) (including revisions to the HCS to align with the United Nations’ Globally Harmonized System Classification of Labeling of Chemicals (GHS)); asbestos and lead compliance and remediation; agricultural and grain handling operations; personal protective equipment (PPE); respiratory protection; hearing conservation; walking and working surfaces; emergency action planning; pandemic preparedness and response; and injury and illness recordkeeping and reporting.

Conor also represents private and public employers in defending employment lawsuits and administrative charges in both state and federal courts in Kentucky and Ohio before EEOC and corollary state administrative agencies. He has experience defending all manner of discrimination and retaliation claims, including race, sex, age, disability, workers’ compensation, and many other protected classes or activities. Conor has represented and advised employers on day-to-day employment matters such as employment agreements, discipline, discharge, separation agreements, handbooks and policies, the Fair Labor Standards Act and other wage and hour compliance matters, the Family and Medical Leave Act. Conor also has experience in commercial litigation matters involving disputes over intellectual property and trade secrets, as well as enforcement of employee non-compete agreements.

Conor graduated summa cum laude from Purdue University, Krannert School of Management with a B.S. in accounting and management and minors in international business and finance and passed the Uniform CPA examination. Conor received his J.D., summa cum laude, from Pepperdine University School of Law where he was Order of the Coif and Order of the Barristers. During law school, he was a member of the National Interschool Trial Team and a Fellow of the Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and Law.