Bed bugs found in downtown Columbus office building home to the Ohio Bureau of Workers Comp.

A group of employees at the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation were recently asked to work from home after bed bugs were discovered in the William Green Building in downtown Columbus, an agency spokesperson confirmed.

BWC spokesperson Kim Norris said that workers discovered a dead bed bug on the 22nd floor in May, and fewer than five bugs were found on that floor in July.

Employees in the “affected area” were asked to work from home until the area was inspected, treated and cleared.

Another was found on the 23rd floor on July 23, according to Norris.

“There is no infestation. We regularly clean the William Green Building and other facilities,” Norris said. “If a staff member reports a potential bed bug, we inspect the area and set traps as a precaution.”

The Dispatch viewed an internal message sent by BWC Administrator and CEO Stephanie McCloud on July 23 to employees. It said the agency had contracted with professional pest-management services to investigate the “isolated incidents”, inspect the building and “remediate the problem.” 

Staff in the “directly affected areas” will continue to work from home until the situation is resolved, according to McCloud.

Employees filtering in and out of the William Green Building late Thursday morning were mostly unaware of the bedbugs, with only a handful indicating they had heard of them. Several confirmed the bug sightings to a Dispatch reporter and photographer but declined to comment for fear of retaliation.

The bed bug sightings occurred just over four months after state employees, including a considerable portion of BWC’s staff, returned to working in person following an executive order by Gov. Mike DeWine.

The spouse of a BWC worker, who spoke to The Dispatch on behalf of their partner, estimated that 90% of BWC workers were allowed to work from home before DeWine’s return-to-work order. 

At the time he announced the return-to-work order, DeWine said returning workers to the office would “best serve the public” and “maximize the use of state-owned assets and facilities,” The Dispatch previously reported.

Getting There: Did DeWine and companies’ return to work mandates increase Ohio traffic?

Breaking and trending news reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com and at @NathanRHart on X and at nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.