Ohio Administrative Code › Title 4121 - Industrial Commission › Chapter 4121-15 - Code of Ethics › Section 4121-15-03 - Standards of conduct

Current through all regulations passed and filed through July 1, 2024
(A) Purpose
It is the policy of the industrial commission and the bureau of
				workers' compensation to carry out its mission in accordance with the strictest
				ethical guidelines and to ensure that commission and bureau employees conduct
				themselves in a manner that fosters public confidence in the integrity of the
				commission and the bureau, its processes, and its accomplishments.
The commission and the bureau hereby adopt the provisions of
				the Ohio ethics law, including but not limited to the provisions of Chapters
				102. and 2921. of the Revised Code, and as interpreted by the Ohio ethics
				commission and Ohio courts.
(B) Prohibited conduct
(1) No industrial commission member, the
			 administrator of workers' compensation, bureau of workers' compensation board
			 of directors member, commission employee, or bureau employee shall do any of
			 the following acts:
(a) Solicit or accept
			 anything of value from anyone doing business with the commission or the
			 bureau;
(b) Solicit or accept
			 employment from anyone doing business with the commission or the bureau, unless
			 the member or employee completely withdraws from any commission or bureau
			 discretionary or decision making activity regarding the party offering
			 employment, and the commission or the bureau approves the withdrawal;
(c) Use their
			 public position to obtain benefits for the member or employee, a family member,
			 or anyone with whom the member or employee has a business or employment
			 relationship;
(d) Be paid or accept
			 any form of compensation for personal services rendered on a matter before, or
			 sell goods or services to the commission or the bureau;
(e) Be paid or accept any form of
			 compensation for personal services rendered on a matter before, or sell (except
			 by competitive bid) goods or services to, any state agency other than the
			 commission or the bureau, as applicable, unless the member or employee first
			 discloses the services or sales and withdraws from matters before the
			 commission or the bureau that directly affect officials and employees of the
			 other state agency, as directed in section
			 102.04 of the Revised
			 Code:
(f) Hold or benefit from a
			 contract with, authorized by, or approved by the commission or the bureau, (the
			 ethics law does accept some limited stockholdings, and some contracts
			 objectively shown as the lowest cost services, where all criteria under section
			 2921.42 of the Revised Code are
			 met);
(g) Vote, authorize,
			 recommend, or in any other way use theirposition to secure approval of a
			 commission or bureau contract (including employment or personal services) in
			 which the member or employee, a family member, or anyone with whom the member
			 or employee has a business or employment relationship, has an
			 interest;
(h) Solicit or accept
			 honoraria (see division (H) of section
			 102.01 and division (H) of
			 section 202.03 of the Revised Code)
			 except that employees who are not financial disclosure filers may receive an
			 honorarium only if the honorarium is paid in recognition of a demonstrable
			 business, profession, or esthetic interest of the employee that exists apart
			 from public office or employment, and is not paid by any person or other
			 entity, or by a representative or association of those persons or entities,
			 doing business with the commission or the bureau, as applicable;
(i) During public service, and for one year
			 after leaving public service, represent any person, in any fashion, before any
			 public agency, with respect to a matter in which the member or employee
			 personally participated while serving with the commission or the bureau,
			 excluding ministerial acts on behalf of a client or customer, as
			 applicable;
(j) Use or disclose
			 confidential information protected by law, unless appropriately
			 authorized;
(k) Use, or authorize
			 the use of, their title, the name of the commission, or the bureau, or the agencies logos in a manner
			 that suggests impropriety, favoritism, or bias by the commission or the bureau,
			 or by a member or employee;
(l)
			 Solicit or accept any compensation, except as allowed by law, to perform
			 their official duties or any act or service in their
			 official capacity; and
(m) Sponsor
			 parties or other entertainment for the personnel of their agencies, the cost of
			 which are covered in whole or in part by donations or receipts from the sale of
			 tickets to individuals or entities, who are doing or seeking to do business
			 with the commission or bureau.